Hudson  Tuttle 


- 

"Occultism  is  the  intellectual  side  of 

Spiritualism,  and  teaches  the  student 

the  latent  powers  of  his  own  spirit." 

—  Stainton  Moses  "More  Spirit  Teachings" 

pp.  81,  1951  edition. 

DUKE 

UNIVERSITY 

LIBRARY 


Gl{\t  o{) 

the  Estate  of 
George  E.  Hartman 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/studiesinoutlyin01tutt 


STUDIES 


IN  THE 

OUT-LYING  FIELDS 

OF 

PSYCHIC  SCIENCE 


By  HUDSON  TUTTLE 

AUTHOR  OF  ARCANA  OF  NATURE  ORIGIN  AND  DEVELOP 
MENT  OF  MAN  ETC 


New  York 

M  L  HOLBROOK  &  CO 


COPYRIGHT  BY 
HUDSON  TUTTLE, 
1889. 


TO 

ALFRED  E.  GILES, 

OF 

HYDE  PARK,  MASS.. 

AN  ERUDITE  SCHOLAR,  A  FEARLESS  INVESTIGATOR,  AN 
UNSHRINKING  ADVOCATE  OF  HIS  CONVICTIONS,  HON¬ 
EST  AND  TRUK  TO  HIMSELF  AND  OTHERS  ; 

IN  RECOGNITION  OF  A  MUTUAL  FRIENDSHIP  OF  MANY 


YEARS  THIS  VOLUME  IS  FRATERNALLY  DEDICATED. 


ANALYSIS. 


There  is  a  Psychic  Ether,  related  to  thought,  as  the  lumi- 
nifereous  ether  is  to  light. 

This  may  be  regarded  as  the  thought  atmosphere  of  the 
universe.  A  thinking  being  in  this  atmosphere  is  a  pulsating 
center  of  thought- waves,  as  a  luminous  body  is  of  light. 

There  is  a  state  of  mind  and  body  known  as  sensitive,  or 
impressible,  in  which  it  receives  impressions  from  other 
minds.  This  state  may  be  normal,  or  induced  by  fatigue, 
disease,  drugs,  or  arise  in  sleep.  The  facts  of  clairvoyance, 
trance,  somnambulism  and  psychometry  prove  the  existence 
of  this  ether,  and  are  correlated  to  it. 

Thought  transference  is  also  in  evidence,  as  well  as  that 
vast  series  of  facts  which  give  intimation  of  an  intelligence 
surviving  the  death  of  the  physical  body. 

This  sensitiveness  may  be  exceedingly  acute,  and  the  indi¬ 
vidual  unconscious  of  it,  and  then  it  is  known  as  genius,  which 
is  acute  susceptibility  to  the  waves  of  the  psychic  atmos¬ 
phere. 

Sensitiveness  explains  the  true  philosophy  of  prayer. 

All  the  so-called  occult  phenomena  of  mesmerism,  trance, 
clairvoyance,  mind  reading,  dreams,  visions,  thought  trans¬ 
ference,  etc.,  are  correlated  to  and  explained  by  means  of  this 
psychic  ether. 

All  these  phenomena  lead  up  to  the  consideration  of  im¬ 
mortality,  which  is  a  natural  state,  the  birthright  of  every 
human  being. 


6 


ANALYSIS. 


The  body  and  spirit  are  originated  and  sustained  together, 
and  death  is  their  final  separation. 

The  problem  of  an  immortal  future,  beginning  in  time,  is 
solved  by  the  resolution  of  forces  at  first  acting  in  straight 
lines,  through  spirals  reaching  circles  which,  returning  with¬ 
in  themselves,  become  individualized  and  self-sustaining. 

Spiritual  beings  must  originate  and  be  sustained  by  laws 
as  fixed  and  unchanging  as  those  which  govern  the  physical 
world. 

Sensitiveness  gives  great  pleasures  and  may  give  pain  ;  the 
author’s  experience  as  a  sensitive,  related,  shows  this. 

And,  finally,  a  communication  from  a  spirit  whose  life  had 
been  noble  and  unselfish,  given  while  the  recepient  was  in  a 
sensitive  and  receptive  state,  detailing  an  account  of  the 
phenomena  called  death,  but  which  is  really  birth  into  the 
spirit  realm  the  meeting  of  friends,  and  the  knowledge  of  a 
quarter  of  a  century  of  its  joys,  together  with  ‘‘the  poet’s 
story,  it  being  an  account  given  by  one  whose  earth-life  had 
been  selfish,  and  whose  selfish  thoughts  had  formed  them¬ 
selves  into  phantom  companions,  following  him  into  the 
realm  of  the  future  world,  and  making  his  life  there  one  of 
despair,  and  how  he  escaped  these  legitimate  children  of  his 
brain  by  heroic  acts  of  unselfishness,  complete  the  story. 
These  last  are  no  fictions  of  the  imagination,  written  to 
amuse  the  reader;  but  the  author  is  firmly  convinced,  yes, 
knows  they  are  the  words  of  actual  living  beings  who  have 
once  lived  on  earth  like  ourselves. 


H.  T, 


CONTENTS 


PAGE. 

Dedication .  3 

Analysis .  5 

CHAPTER  I. 

Matter,  Life,  Spirit .  9 

CHAPTER  II. 

What  the  Senses  Teach  of  the  World  and  the  Doctrine  of  Evolution .  20 

CHAPTER  III. 

Scientific  Methods  of  the  Study  of  Man,  and  its  Results . 31 

CHAPTER  IV. 

What  is  the  Sensitive  State .  37 

CHAPTER  V. 

Sensitive  State:  Its  Division  into  Mesmeric,  Somnambulic  and  Clair¬ 
voyant .  44 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Sensitiveness  Proved  by  Psychometry . 04 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Sensitiveness  During-  Sleep .  75 

CHAPTER  VIII. 


Dreams 


86 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Sensitiveness  Induced  by  Disease .  03 

CHAPTER  X. 

Thought  Transference .  99 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Intimations  of  an  Intelligent  Force .  117 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Effects  of  Physical  Influences  on  the  Sensitive .  147 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Unoonscious  Sencitiveness .  151 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Prayer  in  the  Light  of  Sensitiveness  and  Thought  Waves .  165 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Christian  Science,  Mind  Cure,  Faith  Cure — their  Physical  Relations . 178 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

What  the  Immortal  State  Must  Be .  188 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Personal  Experience — Intelligence  from  the  Sphere  of  Light . 217 


Matter,  Life,  Spirit. 


Necessity  of  Knowledge,  not  Faith. — Guizot  forci¬ 
bly  expresses  the  value  of  a  knowledge  of  future 
life  when  he  says:  “Belief  in  the  supernatural 
(spiritual)  is  the  special  difficulty  of  our  time ;  de¬ 
nial  of  it  is  the  form  of  all  assaults  on  Christianity, 
and  acceptance  of  it  lies  at  the  root,  not  only  of 
Christianity,  but  of  all  positive  religion  whatever.” 

He  stands  not  alone  in  this  conclusion.  The  dif¬ 
ficulty,  to  a  great  majority  of  men  of  science  and 
leaders  of  thought,  appears  insurmountable,  and 
they  no  longer  feel  a  necessity  for  defending  their 
want  of  belief,  but  smile  at  the  credulity  of  those 
who  believe  anything  beyond  what  their  senses 
reveal. 

Not  only  the  infidel  world  perceives  this  difficulty  ; 
it  is  well  understood  by  the  leaders  of  Christianity, 
for  they  have  been  taught  its  strength  by  the  irre¬ 
pressible  conflict  which  has  culminated  in  the  want 
of  belief  at  the  present  time.  With  this  result  be¬ 
fore  them,  it  is  idle  for  the  church  leaders  to  assert 
that  revelation  in  the  Bible  is  sufficient  to  remove 
this  difficulty,  which  has  grown  in  the  very  sanctu¬ 
ary,  in  the  shadow  of  biblical  teachings.  While  the 
value  of  the  Bible,  as  interpreted  by  theologians, 
depends  on  the  belief  in  immortality,  it  has  not 
proved  the  existence  of  man  beyond  the  grave  in 
such  an  absolute  manner  as  to  remove  doubt ;  and 
yet,  of  all  evidence  it  is  designed  to  give,  that  on 


10 


MATTER ,  LIFE ,  SPIRIT. 


this  point  should  he  the  most  complete-  and  irre¬ 
futable. 

The  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  proves  nothing, 
even  admitted  in  its  most  absolute  form.  If  Christ 
was  the  Son  of  God  and  God  himself,  he  was  unlike 
ordinary  mortals,  and  what  is  true  of  him  is  not 
necessarily  so  of  them. 

His  physical  resurrection  does  not  prove  theirs. 
Admitting  similarity,  his  bodily  resurrection  after 
three  days,  while  his  body  remained  unchanged, 
does  not  prove  theirs  after  they  have  become  dust, 
and  scattered  through  countless  forms  of  life  for  a 
thousand  ages.  If,  with  some  sects,  the  resurrection 
of  the  body  be  discarded,  then  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  has  no  significance,  for  it  is  expressly  held 
that  his  body  was  revivified  and  taken  from  the 
tomb. 

Skepticism  has  increased,  because  the  supporters 
of  religion  have  not  attempted  to  keep  pace  with  the 
march  of  events,  but,  on  the  contrary,  asserted  that 
they  had  all  knowledge  possible  to  gain  on  this  sub¬ 
ject,  and  that  anything  outside  of  their  interpreta¬ 
tion  was  false. 

Instead  of  founding  religion  on  the  constitution  of 
man,  and  making  immortality  his  birthright,  they 
have  regarded  these  as  foreign  to  him,  and  only 
gained  by  the  acceptance  of  certain  doctrines.  They 
removed  immortality  from  the  domain  of  accurate 
knowledge;  and  those  who  pursued  science  turned 
with  disgust  from  a  subject  which  ignored  present 
research  for  past  belief. 

Hence,  there  has  been,  unfortunately,  the  great 
army  of  investigators  and  thinkers,  in  the  realm  of 
matter,  studying  its  phenomena  and  laws,  never 
approaching  the  threshold  of  the  spiritual;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  more  important  knowledge 


THE  ATOM. 


If 


of  spirit,  of  man’s  future,  which  retrospects  his  pre¬ 
sent  life  and  ali  past  ages,  and  reaches  into  the  in¬ 
finite  ages  to  come,  was  the  especial  care  of  those 
who  scorned  nature  and  abhorred  reason.  Hence 
the  antagonism,  which  can  only  be  removed  by  the 
priest  laying  aside  his  books  as  infallible  authority, 
discarding  beliefs,  dogmas,  and  metaphysical  word 
legerdemain,  and  studying  the  inner  world  in  the 
same  manner  that  the  outer  has  been  so  advantage¬ 
ously  explored.  When  this  has  been  done,  it  may  be 
found  that  physical  investigators  have  not  the  whole 
truth,  even  when  they  have  been  the  most  exact. 

It  may  be  found  that,  having  omitted  the  spiritual 
side  in  all  their  investigations,  their  conclusions  are 
erroneous  to  the  extent  of  that  factor,  which  may  be 
one  of  the  most  important.  It  may  be  found  that  in 
order  to  have  a  complete  and  perfect  knowledge  of 
the  external  world,  the  internal  or  spiritual  must  be 
understood. 

Here  we  face  the  time-old  questions  :  What  is 
matter  ?  What  is  spirit  ?  The  philosophy  of  nature 
here  rests.  There  is  no  middle  ground.  The  ma¬ 
terialist  starts  from  the  atom,  which,  he  says,  has  in 
itself  all  the  possibilities  of  the  universe  and  outside 
of  which  there  is  nothing. 

The  Atom. — But  who  knows  of  the  atom,  into 
which  matter,  at  last  analysis,  is  resolved  ?  No  one. 
Aside  from  the  active  forces  which  apparently  flow 
from  ic,  we  know  nothing,  and  speculation  takes  the 
place  of  knowledge.  That  speculation,  unfettered 
by  the  requirements  of  accurate  science,  grew  rankly 
in  the  minds  of  the  sages  of  antiquity,  and  bore  the 
strangest  fruits.  From  that  time  to  the  present, 
speculative  thought  has  not  ceased  in  activity,  nor 
arrived  at  any  certain  conclusion. 


12 


MATTER ,  LIFE ,  SPIRIT. 


The  atomic  theory  is  one  of  the  most  splendid 
generalizations  in  the  whole  circle  of  sciences.  As 
a  working  hypothesis  its  aid  is  invaluable,  and  the 
solution  it  affords  of  the  most  intricate  combination 
of  the  elements,  truly  marvelous.  Yet  it  is  a  conjec¬ 
ture  ;  the  existence  of  the  atom  a  guess.  No  one 
ever  saw,  tasted,  or  felt  the  atom.  It  is  absolutely 
beyond  the  senses,  as  it  is  beyond  any  instrumental 
aid  thereto.  The  entire  structure  of  physical  sci¬ 
ence,  as  expounded  to-day,  rests  on  conjecture,  the 
only  evidence  in  support  of  which  is  that  it  explains 
the  phenomena.  There  is  no  assurance  that  other 
conjectures  might  not  explain  them  quite  as  well. 

It  would  be  a  waste  of  time  to  explore  this  field, 
wherein  the  baseless  dreams  of  philosophers  and 
scientists  have  grown  like  Jonah’s  gourd,  over¬ 
shadowing  the  barren  sands. 

The  manner  in  which  the  nature  of  the  distinct 
and  indestructable  atom  was  arrived  at,  shows  the 
puerility  of  the  theory.  If  we  take  a  fragment  of 
matter,  we  can  break  it  into  distinct  pieces  ;  these 
are  again  divided,  and  so  on,  until  we  reach  a  point 
where  further  division  is  impossible 

One  of  these  indivisible  particles,  says  the  Materi¬ 
alist,  is  an  atom ;  a  conclusion  derived  from  the 
gross  conception  of  material  division,  and  the  limita¬ 
tion  of  the  mind. 

Endow  this  atom  with  force,  or  call  it  a  center  for 
the  propagation  of  force,  and  the  materialistic  system 
is  complete ;  yet  these  conclusions  are  but  dreams. 
With  equal  arrogance,  the  Materialists  lead  to  the 
higher  ground  of  vitality,  of  mind  and  of  morals,  for¬ 
getting  that  the  fundamental  proposition  on  which 
this  system  rests  is  a  guess,  a  surmise,  and  nothing 
more 

But  investigation  by  other  means  than  the  primi- 


NEW  PROPERTIES.— WHAT  IS  MATTER  ? 


13 


tive  experience  of  mechanical  division,  shows  that 
the  atom  has  no  existence  as  a  fixed  entity.  Pro¬ 
fessor  Crookes  has  demonstrated  that  matter  has 
properties  unknown  to  the  present  race  of  philo¬ 
sophers. 

By  way  of  illustration  :  If  a  certain  vessel  be  closed, 
and  the  air  exhausted,  until  only  one  hundred  atoms 
remain,  that  hundred  leave  no  space,  but  occupy  the 
entire  vessel.  If  the  vacuum  be  made  more  perfect, 
and  only  ten  atoms  remain,  the  ten  still  occupy  the 
whole  space ;  and  if  the  process  could  be  carried  so 
far  that  only  one  remained,  it  would  still  fill  the 
space.  The  atomist  might  divide  it  indefinitely,  and 
yet  each  division  fill  the  space.  In  short,  were  there 
but  one  atom  in  the  universe,  that  atom  would  fill  all 
space. 

New  Properties. — When  matter  is  thus  rarified,  or 
in  other  words,  when  the  pressure  is  removed,  new 
properties  appear,  and  the  tangible  fades  into  the 
intangible.  The  qualities  of  pure  force  begin  to  be 
manifested.  The  intimation  is  made  that  were  it 
possible  to  make  the  vacuum  more  perfect,  there 
would  arise  out  of  this  invisible  gas,  spontaneous 
manifestation  of  energy  ;  or  matter  would  be  re¬ 
solved  into  force. 

What  is  Matter? — Having  seen  that  the  conception 
of  the  atom  is  immature,  and  incapable  of  demon¬ 
stration,  we  find  matter,  of  which  the  atom  is  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  the  foundation,  equally  incapable  of  de¬ 
finition.  With  matter  we  never  come  in  sensuous 
contact ;  we  only  know  its  forces,  as  expressed  in 
phenomena. 

The  succession  of  seasons,  the  recurrence  of  day 
and  night,  the  teeming  earth,  the  starry  heavens — 


14 


MATTER ,  LIFE,  SPIRIT. 


these  are  manifestations  of  matter.  Matter  here  is 
revealed  to  us  as  an  appearance.  Matter  is  appear¬ 
ance  ;  phenomena  are  concrete  expressions  of  force. 
It  may  be  asked  :  Do  these  phenomena  create  them¬ 
selves  ?  Do  bodies  become  organic  by  the  conflu¬ 
ence  of  atoms  ?  Rather  are  they  not  molded  by 
the  force  which  through  them  gains  expression  ? 
What  is  this  force  ?  Is  it  independent  P  On  ulti¬ 
mate  analyses,  force  resolves  itself  into  motion, 
which  is  discernable  to  the  senses  only  as  expressed 
in  phenomena.  If  we  were  obliged  to  explain  the 
phenomena  of  matter  only,  some  theory  might  be 
plausibly  maintained  ;  fronting  one  world  we  might 
understand  it,  but  we  are  fronting  two  worlds. 
There  is  constantly  the  caused  and  the  cause.  We 
never  are  satisfied  that  the  caused  caused  itself. 
AVe  may  receive  the  beautiful  exposition  of  the 
doctrine  of  evolution,  and  yet  we  have  only  the 
road  over  which  life  has  been  irresistibly  forced. 
Why  ?  Wherefore  ?  By  what  power  ?  Instinct¬ 
ively  we  turn  to  the  realm  of  spiritual  causes. 

Material  science,  with  all  its  boasted  accuracy 
and  infallibility,  breaks  down,  and  utterly  fails, 
when  called  to  explain  mental  and  spiritual  phen¬ 
omena.  It  boasts  of  infallibility,  when  its  funda¬ 
mental  theories  are  conjectures  that  the  advance 
of  thought  may  to-morrow  show  to  be  vagaries  of 
fancy.  We  must  look  to  the  eternal  activities  of 
spirit  for  the  final  solution  of  the  grossest  manifest, 
ation  of  matter. 

Nature  a  Witches’  Pot. — The  present  conception 
of  nature,  by  material  science,  is  a  witches’  pot,  into 
which,  by  some  unknown  process,  matter  and  force 
were  placed.  The  pot  seethes,  and  out  of  the  seeth¬ 
ing  conflict  foams  up  to  the  surface  in  kaleido- 


NATURE  A  WITCH'S  POT. 


15 


scopic  changes,  organic  beings.  The  savans  stand 
around  its  rim  like  Shakespeare’s  witches  and  chant 
a  technical  gibberish  about  laws  ;  the  pre-existence 
and  correlation  of  force  ;  the  indestructibility  of 
energy  ;  the  eternity  of  matter;  the  potentialities  of 
the  atom  ;  the  struggle  for  existence  ;  the  survival 
of  the  fittest,  and  in  admiration  praise  each  other’s 
profundity  of  sight,  while  the  sharpest  eyed  see 
nothing  beneath  the  foaming  scum.  They  pride 
themselves  on  explanations,  of  causes,  while  really 
they  play  with  words. 

At  the  threshold  of  this  discussion  of  the  problem 
of  mind  and  spirit  we  have  that  of  life.  The  living 
being  is  the  most  wonderful  achievement  of  force  in 
its  multitudinous  forms.  Life  is  the  gateway  to  the 
realm  of  spirit,  and  beyond  that  gateway  lie  the 
questions  we  seek  to  solve. 

The  living  being,  by  the  fact  of  its  being  such,  has 
new  and  hitherto  undetermined  relations.  It  has 
escaped  from  the  hold  of  the  forces  in  part  from  the 
common  lot  of  matter,  and  a  new  horizon  uplifts  be¬ 
fore  it.  New  and  mysterious  forces  intrude,  the  sum 
of  which  we  call  vital  energy.  Well  we  know  that 
here  the  material  scientist  will  smile  or  sneer,  for 
he  has  already  settled  the  question  in  his  own  mind 
and  that  of  his  confreres,  that  there  is  nothing  be¬ 
yond  the  properties  of  matter.  The  animal  body  is 
composed  of  definite  quantities  of  carbon,  hydrogen, ' 
lime,  iron,  etc.,  and  the  conflict  of  atoms,  the  com¬ 
bustion  of  carbon  by  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  the  burn¬ 
ing  of  phosphorus  in  the  nerves,  is  the  activity 
evolved  which  is  called  life.  In  the  higher  ani¬ 
mals,  especially  in  man,  this  life  force  derived  from 
burning  elements  is  changed  to  thought,  and  the 
quantity  of  thought  depends  on  the  activity  of  the 
process. 


16 


MATTER,  LIFE ,  SPIRIT. 


No  one,  however,  has  ever  proved  that  such  trans¬ 
formation  occurs,  or  even  attempted  the  task.  The 
most  thoughtful  and  profound  acknowledge  that  at 
the  threshold  of  life  all  physical  theories  utterly  fail, 
and  that  the  problem  does  not  admit  of  solution. 
The  more  persistent  declare  life  to  be  a  resultant  of 
protoplasm  ;  a  fragment  of  protoplasm  is  the  lowest 
form  of  a  living  being.  It  is  a  homogeneous  mass, 
scarcely  a  cell  or  aggregation  of  cells.  These  cells 
do  not  feel  or  know;  they  are  sensitive  ;  that  is  all. 
A  human  being  is  said  by  these  material  scientists 
to  be  the  sum  of  an  infinite  number  of  moners,  as  a 
coral  branch  is  the  sum  of  a  great  number  of  polyps 
These  moners  form,  under  different  circumstances, 
bone,  muscle,  and  nerve.  They  propagate  and  die. 
Their  multiplication  and  destruction  is  the  source 
and  accompaniment  of  vital  changes,  and  mental 
states.  When  the  necessity  for  the  destruction  of 
a  great  number  of  these  moners  arises,  the  end, 
the  destruction  of  all,  or  death  of  the  combined 
organism  is  the  result. 

According  to  this  view,  by  the  simple  addition  of 
moners,  we  obtain  something  none  of  them  singly 
possessed.  The  single  moner  has  only  sensitive¬ 
ness,  their  infinite  aggregate,  in  the  human  being, 
has  feeling,  intelligence,  will,  and  God-like  aspira¬ 
tions.  The  time  old  axiom  never  before  disputed  is 
set  aside,  and  the  sum  is  declared  to  be  not  only 
greater  than  its  parts — it  is  infinitely  greater,  and 
acquires  qualities  which  the  partes  do  not  possess. 

It  may  be  urged  that  in  the  acquisition  of  new 
qualities  the  same  is  true  -of  the  chemical  union  of 
elements,  which  yield  products  entirely  different  in 
quality  from  the  combining  bodies.  These,  how¬ 
ever.  unite  in  fixed  proportions  in  a  manner  far  from 
understood,  while,  with  the  hypothetical  moners, 


LIFE  AND  MIND. 


IT 


they  are  aggregated  mechanically,  as  polyps  in  a 
cluster,  and  this  union  of  individuals  changes  not 
their  functions,  but  simply  increases  the  mass. 

Whether  we  accept  this  moner  hypothesis,  or  the 
more  generally  received  theory  that  life  is  the  pro¬ 
duct  of  organization,  arising  from  the  chemical  ac¬ 
tions  in  the  body,  it  is  impossible  to  say  wherein  the 
dead  animal  differs  from  the  living.  Analysis  can 
not  reveal  this  secret,  for  the  living  animal  can  not 
be  subjected  to  that  test.  The  life  principle  escapes 
before  the  alembic  or  retort  is  brought  into  requi¬ 
sition.  The  song  of  the  bird  can  not  be  found  by 
chemical  analysis.  We  know  that  the  living  being 
is  held  together,  and  dominated  over  by  the  strong¬ 
est  forces,  and  the  moment  these  relax  their  hold, 
decomposition  commences.  What  are  these  forces  ? 
Whence  do  they  come  ?  Whither  do  they  go  ? 

Life  and  Mind. — Taking  vital  force  in  its  highest 
expression,  in  man,  it  is  self-conscious  and  has 
independent  will.  It  arises  above  the  atoms  of 
its  physical  being,  above  the  influences  which 
environ  it,  and  says,  I  will,  and  executes  that  will. 

I  know  well  that  if  we  here  leave  physical  science 
for  metaphysics,  there  are  philosophers  who  would 
not  only  reason  away  this  force,  but  the  existence  of 
the  body  itself.  They  are  true  intellectual  acrobats; 
amusing  jugglers,  who  throw  words  instead  of, 
painted  balls,  and  confuse  by  their  wonderful  dex-. 
terity.  Yet,  after  all  has  been  said,  we  know  we 
exist  and  have  physical  bodies.  Had  we  not  such 
bodies  the  thought  of  them  would  never  have  been 
fashioned  in  our  minds.  As  we  know  the  sun  will 
rise,  or  the  night  follow,  we  know  we  have  bodily 
forms,  and  are  thereby  brought  in  contact  with  the 
physical  world.  It  is  a  fact,  and  as  such  can  not  be 


18 


MATTER ,  LIFE ,  SPIRIT. 


reasoned  away.  In  the  same  manner  we  are  con¬ 
scious  of  a  mental  or  spiritual  life  which  arches  the 
physical  world  as  the  dome  of  the  sky. 

Is  the  Gulf  between  Spirit  and  Matter  Bridged? — 

Here  we  come  to  that  vague  and  uncertain  realm 
where  spirit  touches  matter.  We  leave  the  coast  line 
of  the  tangible  and  seen  for  the  intangible  and  un¬ 
seen.  There  is  no  bridge  over  the  gulf,  which  is  said 
to  he  impassable.  Material  and  spiritual  phenomena 
are  united  by  no  common  bond,  and  each  stands  by 
itself.  The  great  thought  stream  has  set  toward  the 
materialistic  interpretation  of  all  spiritual  phen¬ 
omena,  or  ruled  them  out  of  the  pale  of  the  believable. 
If  these  phenomena  are  real,  if  man — -the  ego — is 
superior  to  the  oxygen  and  carbon  of  his  body;  if  the 
manifestations  of  mind  are  superior  to  the  conbus- 
tion  of  tissue  in  the  lungs,  then  all  these  manifesta¬ 
tions  should  be  amenable  to  certain  laws  and  con¬ 
ditions,  which  ascertained,  will  harmonize  them  into 
a  perfect  system. 

The  brain  is  the  point  of  contact  between  spirit 
and  matter,  and  as  far  as  the  manifestations  of  that 
spirit  are  related  to  the  material  world  while  con¬ 
nected  with  the  physical  body,  it  must  be  through 
and  by  means  of  the  brain.  The  intimate  character 
of  this  relation  gives  strong  color  to  the  reasoning 
based  on  the  material  view  that  the  brain  produces 
thought,  as  the  liver  produces  bile.  But  such  rea¬ 
soning  is  from  appearance  rather  than  the  reality. 
There  is,  as  Tyndall  eloquently  expresses,  a  chasm 
between  matter  and  mind  that  can  not  be  passed. 

“  The  passage  from  the  physics  of  the  brain  to  the 
corresponding  facts  of  consciousness  is  unthink¬ 
able  ....  Were  our  minds  and  senses  so  ex¬ 
panded,  strengthened,  and  illuminated,  as  to  enable 


SPIRITUAL  SUBSTANCE.— SPIRITUAL  ETHER.  19 


us  to  see  and  feel  the  very  molecules  of  the  brain  ; 
were  we  capable  of  following  all  their  motions,  all 
their  groupings,  all  their  electric  discharges,  if  such 
there  be ;  and  were  we  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  corresponding  states  of  thought  and  feeling, — 
we  should  be  as  far  as  ever  from  the  solution  of  the 
problem,  ‘How  are  these  physical  processes  con¬ 
nected  with  the  facts  of  consciousness  ?  ’  The  chasm 
between  the  two  classes  of  phenomena  would  still 
be  intellectually  impossible.” 

Spiritual  Substance. — As  the  experiments  alluded 
to  show  that  matter  may,  under  certain  conditions, 
take  on  new  properties,  ceasing  to  be  matter,  in  the 
usual  acceptance  of  that  word,  the  horizon  of  mat¬ 
ter  which  has  been  thought  to  rest  over  attenu¬ 
ated  hydrogen,  may  extend  to  infinite  reaches  be¬ 
yond,  including  stuffs  or  substances  which  have 
never  been  revealed  to  the  senses.  As  the  eye  is 
capable  of  detecting  only  a  narrow  belt  of  rays,  and 
the  ear  a  scarcely  broader  belt  of  sounds,  beyond 
which,  on  either  side,  are  unknown  realms  of  light 
and  sounds,  so  we  are  able  to  detect  only  a  narrow 
range  of  elements ;  and  there  may  be  a  realm  on  one 
side  too  gross  for  recognizance  by  the  senses,  and  on 
the  other,  one  too  attenuated.  Beings  fashioned 
of  this  attenuated  substance  might  walk  by  our  side 
unseen,  nor  cast  a  shadow  in  the  noon-day  sun. 

Spirit  Ether  . — Aside  from  this  spiritual  substance, 
beyond  the  pale  of  the  most  attenuated  matter,  is 
the  spirit  ether.  The  students  of  light  have  found 
it  possible  to  explain  its  phenomena  only  by  the 
hypothesis  of  an  ether,  a  universal  fluid  of  extreme 
tenuity,  the  vibrations  of  which  are  interpreted  by 
the  eye  as  light.  This  ether  was  at  first  a  dream  of 


20 


WHAT  THE  SENSES  TEACH. 


the  imagination  ;  but,  by  answering  all  questions 
and  receiving  the  verification  of  mathemetics,  it  has 
become  a  demonstrated  reality.  It  is  prdbably  the 
common  medium  for  the  transference  of  electricity, 
heat,  and  magnetism  as  well.  It  is  an  illustration  of 
one  of  the  many  instances  where  the  Imagination 
has  overreached  the  Reason  in  the  race  of  dis¬ 
covery. 

In  the  same  manner  we  may  predicate  another 
ether,  the  medium  through  which  all  spiritual  phen¬ 
omena  are  produced.  We  may  prove  the  existence 
of  this  ether,  by  the  certainty  and  harmony  of  the 
answers  it  gives,  as  the  existence  of  the  luminifer¬ 
ous  ether  has  been  demonstrated.  As  the  great  life- 
giver,  we  may  distinguish  it  as  phycho-ether.  It 
can  not  be  said  to  be  material,  for  it  belongs  to  the 
region  beyond  that  recognized  as  material  by  our 
senses.  It  is  the  sublimation  of  matter,  vastly  more 
attenuated  than  light-ether,  and  thought  is  propa¬ 
gated  in  it  from  thinking  centers,  as  light  is  in  the 
luminiferous  ether  from  luminous  bodies.  The  qual¬ 
ities  of  this  ether  are  the  possibilities  of  life  and 
spirit  and  to  it  for  explanation  we  refer  all  psychic 
phenomena. 


What  the  Senses  Teach 

OF  THE 

World  and  the  Doctrine  of  Evolution. 


Is  there  more  than  one  World- stuff? — Thus  far, 
with  a  few  exceptions  which  may  be  called  hetero¬ 
dox,  physicists  have  in  their  speculations  used  the 
term  matter  as  though  in  ultimate  conception  there 


IS  THERE  MORE  THAN  ONE  WORLD  * 


21 


is  but  one  kind  of  matter  and  the  atoms  of  that  mat¬ 
ter  are  absolutely  alike.  In  other  words  there  is  but 
one  stuff  of  which  the  cosmos  is  formed.  The  senses 
on  which  this  theory  is  based  do  not  endorse,  but,  by 
their  limitation,  prove  the  opposite.  We  have  no 
means  of  knowing  of  sound  aside  from  the  ear, 
which  is  wonderfully  fashioned  to  receive  vibrations 
and  transmit  them  to  the  brain  ;  yet  its  imperfec¬ 
tion,  caused  by  the  limitations  of  nerve  tissue,  re¬ 
veals  the  fact  that  it  is  cognizant  of  only  a  narrow 
field,  either  side  of  which  is  a  wide  tract,  which  to  it 
is  profound  silence.  If  a  sound  wave  impinges  on 
the  ear  with  less  vibrations  than  1G£  times  in  a  sec¬ 
ond  it  is  inaudible  ;  and  if  the  number  of  vibrations 
is  increased  above  38,000  per  second,  they  again  lose 
the  power  of  impressing  the  ear.  There  may  be  in¬ 
sects  capable  of  hearing  these  high  sounds,  which  to 
man  are  silence  itself  :  and  the  long  waves  that  beat 
less  than  16*  times  in  a  second  may  be  sweet  music 
to  some  of  the  lower  tribes  of  animated  life. 

Perfect  as  the  eye  may  be  as  an  optical  instru¬ 
ment,  its  range  is  far  less  than  that  of  the  ear.  Only 
those  rays  of  light  having  waves  1-39, 000th  of  an 
inch  in  length  are  visible  on  one  side,  and  the  last 
visible  radiations  on  the  other  end  of  the  spectrum 
have  wave  lengths  of  1-575, 000th  of  an  inch.  This 
is  a  narrow  limit,  and  on  either  side  there  must  be 
rays,  which  eyes  or  nerves  differently  constructed 
would  receive  and  interpret,  yielding,  perhaps,  col¬ 
ors  unknown  to  our  consciousness.  There  is  a  har¬ 
mony  in  color  waves,  like  music  in  sound  waves, 
for  as  a  note  blends  in  one,  in  all  octaves  above 
or  below,  so  light  waves,  twice  or  thrice  the  length 
of  given  waves  yield  the  same  color  impression. 

We  may  regard  from  the  same  point  of  view  the 
sense  of  taste,  the  nerves  of  which  have  a  still  nar- 


00 


WHAT  THE  SENSES  TEACH. 


rower  range,  and  are  apparently  differently  affected  in 
animals  than  they  are  in  man — substances  disagree¬ 
able  to  him  being  relished  by  them,  and  of  course 
affecting  the  taste  differently. 

We  are  not  sure  that  there  are  not  senses  which 
appreciate  conditions  of  matter,  of  which  we  have 
no  conception.  There  are  insects  which  apparently 
have  organs  bestowing  senses  unlike  our  own.  Their 
antennae  have  no  corresponding  organs  in  the  higher 
animals,  and  the  conception  of  the  world  which  these 
give  has  no  analogy  in  our  minds. 

As  the  senses  are  thus  cognizant  of  narrow  belts 
of  sound  and  light,  leaving  unknown  stretches  on 
either  side,  so  what  is  called  matter  may  be  the 
narrow  range  recognized  by  our  finite  powers  as  a 
whole,  on  either  side  of  which  may  lie  stuffs  of 
widely  different  qualities  and  possibilities. 

A  Dead  View  of  Dead  Worlds. — Pausing  to  con¬ 
sider  the  received  theory  of  force,  as  an  explanation 
of  the  causes  of  the  world — creation,  we  shall  find 
that  it  fails  to  meet  the  high,  promises  it  vauntingly 
makes. 

According  to  the  received  theory  of  force,  every 
manifestation  of  power  and  energy  on  the  earth  is 
originally  derived  from  the  sun.  The  growth  of 
plants  and  animals,  and  all  the  activities  displayed 
by  the  latter,  are  derived  from  their  food,  which 
was  produced  by  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun. 

In  illustration  of  the  sun’s  incalculable  power, 
take,  for  instance,  the  rain  fall  of  one-tenth  of  an 
inch  extending  over  the  United  States.  Such  a  rain¬ 
fall  has  been  estimated  at  ten  thousand  millions  of 
tons,  which  the  heat  of  the  sun  had  raised  at  least  to 
the  height  of  one  mile.  It  would  take  all  the  pump¬ 
ing  engines  in  the  United  States  a  century  to  lift  this 


A  DEAD  WORLD. 


23 


amount  of  water  back  again  to  the  clouds.  If  the 
force  is  so  great  as  displayed  in  the  rain-fall  of  one- 
tenth  of  an  inch,  how  incomprehensible  the  power 
which  lifts  the  entire  amount  of  water  evaporated, 
amounting  to,  at  least,  forty  inches  ! 

Yet  the  force  of  the  sun,  manifested  on  the  earth, 
is  an  inconceivably  small  part  of  that  radiated,  for 
the  earth  only  receives  in  the  proportion  that  its 
surface  hears  to  the  sphere  of  its  orbit,  and  how  in¬ 
comparable  is  its  diameter  of  8,000  miles  to  that  of 
a  sphere  184,000,000  across.  The  combined  surface 
of  all  the  planets  would  receive  a  scarcely  appreci¬ 
able  ratio  of  the  entire  amount  which,  unimpeded, 
flies  away  into  the  abyss  of  space. 

The  energy  radiated  at  the  surface  of  the  sun  is 
estimated  at  7,000  horse  power  to  the  square  foot, 
and  if  the  sun  was  a  mass  of  coal,  it  would  have  to 
be  consumed  in  5,000  years  in  order  to  supply  it, 
and  in  5,000  years  would  have  to  cool  down  to  9,000 
degrees,  C.  If  the  nebular  hypothesis  be  received, 
the  contraction  would  supply  the  loss  for  7,000  years 
before  the  temperature  would  fall  1  degree,  C. 

Incomprehensible  as  this  force  is,  it  is  constantly 
diminishing,  and  although  the  projection  of  meteors 
and  hypothetical  cosmical  bodies  may  prolong  its 
action,  the  time  must  come  when  all  its  energy  will 
be  dissipated  into  space ;  all  bodies  will  have  the 
same  temperature,  and  as  there  is  no  other  source 
of  energy,  physical  and  vital  phenomena  will  cease, 
and  the  universe,  bereft  of  living  beings,  will  itself 
be  dead. 

A  Dead  World. — According  to  the  most  advanced 
views  at  present  entertained,  this  is  the  end  of  the 
career  of  the  universe. 

Balfour  Stewart  endorsee  this  conclusion  by  say- 


24 


WHAT  THE  SENSES  TEACH. 


ing:  “We  are  induced  to  generalize  still  further, 
and  regard  not  only  our  own  system,  but  the  whole 
material  universe,  when  viewed  with  respect  to 
serviceable  energy,  as  essentially  evanescent,  and 
as  embracing  a  succession  of  physical  events  which 
can  not  go  on  forever  as  they  are.” 

In  stronger  language  Mr.  Pickering  says:  “The 
final  result,  therefore,  would  be  that  all  bodies 
would  assume  the  same  temperature,  there  would 
be  no  further  source  of  energy;  physical  phenom¬ 
ena  would  cease,  and  the  physical  universe  would 
he  dead.  Such,  at  least,  is  the  present  view  of  this 
stupendous  question.” 

In  explanation  of  the  origin  of  this  energy,  and 
the  reason  for  its  loss,  Mr.  Stewart  further  says : 
“It  is  supposed  that  these  particles  originally  ex¬ 
isted  at  a  great  distance  from  each  other,  and  that, 
being  endowed  with  force  of  gravitation,  they  have 
gradually  come  together;  while  in  this  process  heat 
has  been  generated,  just  as  if  a  stone  were  dropped 
from  the  top  of  a  cliff  toward  the  earth.” 

Thus  the  universe  would  become  an  equally  heated 
mass,  utterly  worthless  as  far  as  the  work  of  pro¬ 
duction  is  concerned,  since  such  production  depends 
on  difference  of  temperature. 

In  other  words,  the  universe  becomes  dead  mat¬ 
ter,  wholly  incapable  of  supporting  life,  and  so  far 
as  present  science  gives  us  any  information,  must 
remain  forever  at  rest. 

The  fact  that  such  a  conclusion  has  been  reached 
should  cause  us  to  pause  in  doubt  of  the  correctness 
of  the  data  leading  thereto.  It  would  be  more  plausi¬ 
ble  were  it  shown  how,  at  the  end  of  the  great  cycle, 
there  Mras  renewal  of  the  lost  energy,  and  return  to 
the  nebulous  beginning.  Causation  moves  in  cycles, 
and  the  most  alarming  perturbations  are  balanced 


THE  LOGIC  OF  RESULTS. 


25 


by  forces  operating  in  other  directions,  so  that  the 
result  is  the  preservation  of  order.  Planets  swing 
wide  of  their  orbits  for  a  million  years,  getting  fur¬ 
ther  and  further  away,  yet  the  time  comes  when 
they  return  on  a  pathway  carrying  them  as  wide  on 
the  other  side. 

This  latest  view  of  the  universe  by  scientific 
thought,  however  plausible  its  argument,  or  appar¬ 
ently  logical  its  results,  is  proven  by  the  very  logic 
of  those  results  to  be  defective. 

The  Logic  of  Results.— It  starts  with  the  declara¬ 
tion  that  matter  and  force  are  inseparable,  that  there 
can  be  no  matter  without  force.  The  nebulous  be¬ 
ginning  was  a  storehouse  of  energy,  which  has  been 
wasting  ever  since  the  first  world  was  formed.  This 
force  has  been  for  countless  ages  dispersing  by  radi¬ 
ation.  It  is  still  wasting,  for  as  it  is  radiated  into 
space  it  does  not  even  raise  the  temperature  of  the 
trackless  abyss  through  which  it  passes.  When  it 
is  all  gone,  there  will  be  left  the  force  of  gravita¬ 
tion,  holding  with  adamantine  grasp  the  dead  resid¬ 
uum  of  suns  and  planets;  and,  strange  conclusion 
to  which  these  premises  force  us,  this  residuum  must 
be  matter  without  force. 

Here  the  problem  remains  unsolved,  and  a  theory 
which  proudly  assumes  for  itself  the  distinction  of 
being  the  only  true  system  of  nature,  which  rules 
God  out  of  the  universe,  or  makes  Him  an  unknown 
and  unknowable  quantity,  destroys  life  in  nature, 
and  has  no  means  of  its  restoration  except  by  a  mir¬ 
acle.  If  the  universe  is  a  machine  which  in  time 
will  run  down  and  die,  all  its  force  being  dissipated, 
does  it  not  follow  that  in  the  beginning  some  superior 
power  united  this  force  with  matter  ?  And  also,  does 
it  not  follow  that  if  this  dead  universe  again  lives,  a 


26 


WHAT  THE  SENSES  TEACH. 


superior  power  must  draw  back  the  scattered  beams 
of  light,  heat,  magnetism,  arid  other  forces,  and  re¬ 
endow  the  dead  residuum  ? 

Thus  this  materialistic  hypothesis,  which  boasts 
arrogantly  of  its  certitude,  begins  in  assumption  and 
ends  in  a  dilemma  out  of  which  confession  of  ignor¬ 
ance  and  acceptance  of  miracle  only  can  extricate  it. 

Creation  is  not  a  clock  that  must  be  wound  up  at 
stated  intervals  by  a  foreign  power,  and  any  system 
which  does  not  provide  for  its  restoration  as  well  as 
destruction,  confesses  weakness. 

The  Choice  of  Causes.— We  have  this  choice:  To 
believe  that  forces  b}^  blind  action  and  reaction 
have  evolved  the  world  from  a  nebulous  fire-cloud 
and  peopled  it  with  sentient  and  intellectual  be¬ 
ings,  making  of  it  a  perpetual  motion,  a  machine  not 
designed,  but  the  result  of  infinite  failures,  perfected 
by  infinite  blunders,  and  sustained  by  the  fortuitous 
equilibrium  of  unseeing,  unknowing  forces  ;  or  that 
back  of  these  forces  is  an  intelligence,  planning  and 
willing  through  their  agency.  If  the  latter  be  ac¬ 
cepted,  it  does  not  follow  that  the  crude  conception 
of  design  in  nature  as  the  direct  work  of  a  personal 
God  must  be  maintained.  At  the  commencement  of 
the  great  revival  of  the  study  of  nature,  when  the 
views  which  have  revolutionized  scientific  thought 
were  beginning  to  dawn,  illy  defined  and  partially 
understood,  they  were  seized  on  by  a  class  seeking 
support  to  the  theological  doctrines  they  felt  yield¬ 
ing  beneath  their  feet,  and  distorted  by  plausible 
sophistry  into  apparent  vindication  of  their  dogmas. 
Of  these,  Paley  became  most  famous,  his  illustra¬ 
tion  of  the  watch  was  the  most  renowned  of  his  argu¬ 
ments.  It  is  misleading,  as  there  is  no  real  likeness 
between  a  watch  and  the  mechanism  of  nature.  Yet 


EVOLUTION. 


27 


we  do  not  endorse  the  complacency  of  many  leading 
supporters’of  evolution.  Evolution  is  undoubtedly 
a  true  statement  of  the  method  of  creation.  It  offers 
no  further  explanation  and  gives  no  cause.  Accept¬ 
ing  evolution  and  following  the  development  of  life 
from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  what  do  we  see  but  the 
constant  unfoldment  of  a  well  defined  purpose  and 
plan  ?  Are  not  the  beings  of  the  Silurian  and  De¬ 
vonian  epoch  prophecies  of  the  forms  which  were 
evolved  out  of  them  ?  We  may  call  things  by  new 
names,  and  in  place  of  design  use  “adaptation”; 
we  do  not  change  the  relations  of  things  thereby. 
When  we  see  a  bird  cleave  the  air  with  rapid  wings, 
and  observe  the  wonderful  adaptation  of  bones  and 
muscles  and  forms  of  feathers,  we  may  explain  it 
all  by  evolution,  which  has  made  the  bird  the  em¬ 
bodiment  of  the  forces  of  the  air.  Have  we. done 
more  than  state  the  method  of  growth  ?  What 
cause  have  we  assigned  for  the  process?  We  see 
an  interminable  series  of  forms,  changing  from 
age  to  age,  becoming  more  and  more  complex  in 
their  relations,  but  pressing  forward  constantly  to 
final  production  of  man  as  the  perfection  of  the 
vertebrate  type.  Evolution  describes  this  process, 
at  every  step  furnishing  evidence  of  a  purpose, 
achieving  its  ends  through  matter,  often  failing,  but 
through  failures  at  last  reaching  its  object.  In  this 
light  the  imperfection  of  organs  proves  nothing 
against  design.  The  eye  of  man  is  instanced  as 
more  imperfect  than  a  glass  lens.  It  is  as  perfect 
as  the  organic  material  out  of  which  it  is  made 
permits.  That  it  becomes  diseased  is  from  the  same 
necessity  of  organization. 

Evolution. — Evolution  is  a  new  name  for  facts  ex¬ 
ceedingly  old;  but  its  supporters  would  have  its 


28 


WHAT  THE  SENSES  TEACH. 


scheme  reach  through  creation  to  the  foundation  of 
things.  Advancement  with  them  means  only  better 
adaptation  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  the  result 
of  accidental  fitness  which  has  pushed  unorganized 
protoplasm  to  man.  Matter  and  its  potentialities 
granted,  all  else  flows  in  assured  course.  Difficul¬ 
ties  disappear ;  the  riddle  of  the  Sphinx  is  no  longer 
obscure.  The  sunlight  has  fallen  on  the  marble 
lips,  and  Memnon  has  revealed  in  a  single  sentence 
what  mortal  man  has  never  understood,  “The 
survival  of  the  fittest.”  The  theologian  has  rested 
in  blissful  confidence  in  the  arms  of  the  Creator ; 
now  comes  the  scientist  who  by  easy  methods  calls 
the  Creator  ‘•'evolution,”  and  falls  as  blindly  con¬ 
fident  into  the  arms  of  his  new-named  God.  The 
likeness  is  made  more  complete  bj'  the  scorn  of  one 
equaling  the  sneer  of  the  other. 

It  is  a  new  name  for  the  old  fact,  that  the  forms 
of  life  on  this  earth  are  united  by  common  parent¬ 
age,  and  have  been  differentiated  by  the  accumu¬ 
lation  of  infinite  beneficial  changes.  The  struggle 
for  existence  has  been  the  center  around  which 
these  have  aggregated.  This  no  careful  student 
will  deny.  Having  granted  this,  what  then  ?  Is 
anything  explained  ?  Have  we  approached  the 
cause  by  a  single  step  ?  Really,  has  anything  been 
done  more  than  to  explain  the  phenomena  of  the 
world  with  new  words  and  phrases  P 

Of  old  it  was  said  the  world  is  a  machine  with 
gods  or  a  god  at  the  crank ;  to-day  the  god  at  the 
crank  is  the  Unknowable,  the  laws  of  nature,  the 
potentiality  of  matter ;  or  in  the  most  recent  theory 
the  all-god  has  appeared  in  the  revival  of  the  god 
imminent  in  the  universe,  which  is  regarded  as  an 
organism,  with  a  god-soul.  This  is  poetic  but  neither 
sensible  nor  scientific.  Forever  and  forever  old  ideas 


THE  SURVIVAL  OF  THE  FITTEST. 


29 


are  washed  on  the  shore  of  time,  out  of  the  wreck 
of  the  past,  and  instead  for  being  relegated  to  the 
museum,  are  galvanized  into  grimace  of  life,  and 
branded  as  new,  when  they  are  rapidly  disintegrat¬ 
ing  in  every  part. 

The  Survival  of  the  Fittest. — The  survival  of  the 
fittest  is  a  wonderful  scheme  of  the  preservation  of 
the  best.  To  illustrate,  take  the  tiger  and  the  deer. 
Once  they  herded  together,  the  tiger  not  being,  as 
now,  noted  for  strength  or  cunning,  nor  the  deer 
for  caution  and  fleetness.  The  dull  tiger  was  able  to 
take  as  prey  the  least  cautious  and  weakest  of  the 
deer.  The  fleetest  deer  propagated,  and  then  only 
the  most  cunning  tigers  were  able  to  procure  food, 
and  continue  their  kind.  As  their  strength  and  cun¬ 
ning  increased,  the  cautiousness  and  fleetness  of  the 
deer  increased  in  this  matched  game  of  life;  the  two- 
species  reacting  on  each  other  until  we  now  have 
the  perfected  deer  and  tiger.  In  both  kingdoms  of 
living  beings,  among  all  their  diverse  families  and 
species,  this  struggle  has  gone  on,  and  the  result 
is  the  differentiation  from  abysmal  protoplasmic 
slime  the  humming  bird  on  the  flower  to  the 
leviathan  in  the  deep  ;  the  litchen  on  the  rock  to 
man  with  an  intellectual  comprehension  of  un¬ 
known  breadth.  We  here  have  the  chronicle  of 
creation,  and  Froisart  was  not  more  garrulous  with 
his  exploits  of  lord  and  lady  than  the  chroniclers  of 
the  changes  effected  in  specific  forms  “on  their 
way  to  man.” 

We  hear  all  that  is  said,  and  with  a  feeling  of  dis¬ 
appointment,  while  admitting  all,  respond  that  we 
were  promised  a  cause,  and  have  been  given  only  a 
method  ?  What  stands  behind  the  “  struggle  for  ex¬ 
istence  ?”  What  is  the  infinite  force  of  the  ceaseless 


30 


WHAT  TI1E  SENSES  TEACH. 


unrest,  which  throws  each  wave  higher  on  the  tide 
line,  working  like  a  blind  giant,  hewing  out  organic 
forms  from  protoplasm,  and  amid  infinite  failures 
approximating  ever  to  the  perfect,  with  constant 
prophecy  that  that  perfection  will  be  attained  ?  The 
“ survival  of  the  fittest”  reveals  the  prodigal  method 
which  preserves  one  of  a  million  germs,  casting  the 
others  back  into  the  seething  crucible  for  new  trials. 
Can  it  claim  anything  more  '{  The  laws  of  nature  are 
grooves  in  which  causes  run  to  effects  ;  but  why  do 
they  thus  move  ?  Calling  them  by  other  names  will 
not  satisfy.  As  Newton,  when  he  gave  the  law  of 
gravitation  mathematical  form,  penetrated  not  a 
step  toward  its  cause,  so  the  biologist  has  not 
passed  the  threshold  of  the  domain  of  life.  A  re¬ 
cent  scientific  association  sat  in  silence  after  a 
verbose  and  flippant  discussion  on  protoplasm, 
when  asked  by  a  member  what  was  the  difference 
between  living  and  dead  protoplasm  ?  Not  one 
could  answer.  Life  had  escaped  their  observation. 
Protoplasm  dead  is  no  longer  protoplasm.  The 
protoplasmic  germ  impelled  by  the  forces  of  life, 
commences  its  growth,  sending  out  its  feeding  ves¬ 
sels,  and  from  the  beginning  copies  the  paleonto¬ 
logical  history  of  the  earth,  and  more  completely 
the  biography  of  its  direct  ancestors. 

When  we  consider  that  this  invisible  fleck  bears 
in  its  cell  or  cells  the  impress  of  every  condition 
bearing  on  its  progenitors  from  remotest  time,  and 
will  Express  it  in  all  these  conditions,  it  is  no  longer 
a  phenomenon  on  which  we  gaze,  but  a  miracle  of 
creative  power,  and  all  that  has  been  written  by 
physiologists  since  Galen's  time  as  to  its  cause  is  as 
children’s  prattle.  The  material  side  furnishes  no 
adequate  explanation.  Its  coarse  methods  are  not 
adapted  to  measure  the  illusive  psyche.  The  balance 


THE  EVOLUTIONIST.  THE  CHEMIST. 


31 


weighs  not,  the  scalpel  dissects  not,  the  retort  holds 
not  the  elements  of  the  soul. 


Scientific  Methods  of  the  Study  of 
Man,  and  Results. 


The  Evolutionist.— Scientists  have  different  ways 
of  studying  man.  The  evolutionist  first  develops 
the  form.  He  says  that  life  began  in  protoplasm 
in  the  unrecorded  ages  of  the  past,  and  step  by 
step,  through  mollusk,  fish,  saurian  and  mammal, 
has  arisen  by  the  ‘‘  struggle  for  existence”  and  “sur 
vival  of  the  fittest.”  until  the  mammal  by  strangely 
fortuitous  chances  has  become  a  human  being.  As 
the  human  body  is  a  modified  animal  form,  so  the  in¬ 
tellect  is  a  modified  and  developed  instinct,  the  high¬ 
est  and  most  spiritual  conscientiousness  being  only 
the  result  of  accumulated  experiences  of  what  is  for 
the  best.  The  highest  of  animals  is  man,  with  no 
barrier  between  him  and  them,  and  subject  to  the 
same  fate.  There  is  no  indication  of  a  guiding  in¬ 
telligence,  and  if  he  possess  an  immortal  spirit,  so 
does  the  mollusk  and  the  fleck  of  protoplasm. 

The  Chemist.— The  chemist  has  his  method,  that 
of  analysis.  He  takes  the  vital  tissues  and  resolves 
them  into  their  elementary  parts.  He  tells  us  that 
there  is  so  much  hydrogen,  carbon  and  nitrogen  in 
the  muscles ;  so  much  lime  and  phosphorus  in  the 
bones  ;  so  much  phosphorus  in  the  nerves,  and  iron 
in  the  blood.  He  separates  these  elements  in  retort 


32 


SCIENTIFIC  STUDY  OF  MAN. 


or  crucible,  and  weighs  them  with  nicety  so  that  he 
knows  to  a  thousandth  of  a  grain  their  proportions. 
He  has  made  the  ultimate  analysis,  and  these  are  all 
he  can  discover.  Life  is  the  result  of  their  union ; 
mind  the  burning  of  phosphorus  in  the  brain,  and  as 
for  spirit,  it  is  quite  unnecessary  to  explain  the  phen¬ 
omena,  The  chemist  has  finished  his  work,  and 
placed  in  the  museum  the  results  of  his  analysis. 
That  body  perhaps  weighed  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds.  In  a  large  glass  jar  is  the  water  it  con¬ 
tained— clear,  crystal  water,  such  as  flashes  in  the 
sunlight  of  a  rainbow-arching  shower,  or  a  dewdrop 
sparkling  on  the  petals  of  a  lily.  There  are  about 
eight  or  ten  gallons  of  it,  for  the  body  is  three-fourths 
water.  There  is  a  small  jar  of  white  powder  repre¬ 
senting  the  lime  ;  another,  still  smaller,  the  silex ; 
another  the  phosphorus.  There  are  homeopathic 
vials  containing  a  trace  of  sulphur,  of  iron,  mag¬ 
nesia,  the  potash,  the  soda,  the  salts  and  so  on  until 
the  vials,  great  and  small,  contain  more  or  less  of  al¬ 
most  every  element.  Here  we  have  what  was  once 
a  human  being.  We  have  every  thing  that  went  to 
make  him,  except  one,  which  lacking,  these  ele¬ 
ments  are  lifeless,  and  of  no  more  value  than  water 
from  the  brook  and  earth  from  its  banks  :  the  vital, 
or  psychic  principle.  Place  the  contents  of  all  the 
lesser  jars  in  the  greater  water  jar,  shake,  dissolve, 
and  manipulate,  dead  and  inert  they  remain,  and 
will  remain  so  long  as  thus  treated.  The  chemist 
in  his  analysis  has  made  no  account  of  the  subtile 
principle  which  made  these  elementary  atoms  an 
expression  of  its  purpose.  The  living  form  has  its 
origin  in  the  remote  past,  and  its  atoms  were 
arranged  and  brought  into  union  by  a  vital  process 
which  thus  began;  which  must  begin  in  this  manner 
and  traverse  the  same  path.  Phosphorus  may  be 


THE  ANATOMIST. 


88 


essential  to  give  activity  to  the  brain,  and  a  given 
amount  of  thought  may  correspond  to  a  fixed  amount 
of  phosphorus  burned  in  nerve  tissue.  What  of  that  ? 
We  know  that  in  one  of  these  vials  is  all  the  phos¬ 
phorus  that  existed  in  one  human  being ;  we  may 
burn  it  all,  and  it  will  give  flame,  not  intelligence. 
If  intelligence  comes  from  its  burning,  the  process 
must  take  place  in  nerve  cells  organized  for  the 
purpose,  and  that  structure  must  have  been  planned 
by  superior  thought. 

To  call  the  ingredients  of  these  bottles  a  human 
being  would  be  like  calling  a  pile  of  brick,  mortar 
and  lumber  a  house,  except  the  comparison  fails  in 
the  house  being  built  by  outside  forces,  while  the 
living  being  must  be  organized  from  within.  No 
mixing  of  the  contents  of  these  bottles  and  jars  can 
evolve  life,  or  even  the  smallest  speck  of  proto¬ 
plasm. 

The  Anatomist. — The  third  scheme  is  that  of  the 
anatomist,  who  with  keen-edged  scalpel  bends  over 
the  body  after  life  has  gone  out  of  it,  and  traces  the 
course  of  arteries  and  veins,  the  form  and  location 
of  nerves,  the  attachment  of  muscular  fibers,  and  in 
connection  with  the  physiologist  defines  the  func¬ 
tions  of  each  separate  organ.  An  exquisitely  fash¬ 
ioned  machine  it  is,  wonderfully  and  fearfully  made, 
growing  up  from  an  invisible  germ.  After  anato¬ 
mist  and  physiologist  have  finished,  and  on  their  dis¬ 
secting  table  only  a  mass  of  rubbish  remains,  they 
triumphantly  point  to  it  and  exclaim:  “See!  We 
have  settled  the  question  of  spirit !  There  can  be 
nothing  beyond  this  organism.  We  have  determined 
how  every  cell  and  fiber  of  it  are  put  together,  and 
the  functions  they  perform.  No  where  is  there  an 
indication  of  any  thing  superior  or  transcending  this 


34 


SCIENTIFIC  STUDY  OF  MAN. 


material  form.  Here  is  where  the  food  is  digested ; 
here  it  is  assimilated  ;  here  this  secretion  is  made ; 
here  excretion  of  poisonous  matter  takes  place ;  here 
in  the  brain,  in  these  gray  cells,  thought  arises.  Ah ! 
it  is  a  wonderful  complex  machine.” 

Indeed  it  is,  and  what  has  become  of  the  power 
which  moved  it  ?  You  have  a  strange  machine,  un¬ 
like  all  others,  for  it  is,  according  to  your  ideas,  an 
engine  to  make  steam,  instead  of  to  be  moved  by  it ; 
a  mill  to  make  a  waterfall,  instead  of  to  be  run  by 
falling  water.  What  is  the  difference  between  a 
dead  man  and  a  living  one  ?  Incomprehensively 
great,  and  yet  the  dead  man  to  the  chemist,  the 
anatomist,  the  biologist,  is  identically  the  same  as 
the  living.  That  unknown  element,  life,  escapes  the 
crucible,  the  retort,  the  scalpel,  the  microscope,  and 
the  conclusions  of  those  who  take  it  not  into  con¬ 
sideration  are  the  vague  conjecturing  of  children, 
who  have  gained  but  a  half  knowledge  of  the  sub¬ 
jects  that  excite  their  attention. 

Yet  science  proudly  claims  the  knowledge  of  all 
things  possible  to  know.  It  has  searched  into  the 
foundations  of  the  earth  and  ascended  the  starry 
dome  of  infinitude ;  it  grasps  the  inconceivably 
small  and  the  inconceivably  great ;  it  delves  in  the 
hard  stratum  of  facts,  and  sports  in  the  most  sub¬ 
lime  theories.  It  gives  the  laws  of  the  dancing 
motes,  and  those  which  guide  the  movements  of 
stellar  worlds  ;  the  sullen  forces  of  the  elements  and 
the  subtile  agencies  which  sustain  living  beings. 

What  is  Beyond  the  Strife  for  Existence? — What, 

O  Science,  is  there  beyond  the  grave  which  shuts 
down  with  adamantine  wall  between  this  life  and 
the  future  ? 

The  answer  comes  :  Beyond  P  There  is  nothing. 


BEYOND  THE  STRIFE  FOR  EXISTENCE. 


85 


Do  not  dream,  but  know  the  reality.  What  becomes 
of  its  music  after  the  instrument  is  destroyed  ? 
Where  is  the  hum  of  the  bee  after  the  insect  has 
passed  on  its  busy  wings  ?  Where  is  the  light  in  the 
lamp  after  the  oil  is  burned  ?  Where  is  the  heat  of 
the  grate  after  the  coal  has  burned  ?  Given  the  con¬ 
ditions  and  you  have  music,  heat  and  light.  When 
these  conditions  perish  you  have  nothing.  As  the 
impinging  of  oxygen  against  carbon  in  the  flame 
produces  light  and  heat,  so  the  combination  of  ele¬ 
ments  in  the  nerves*  and  brain  produces  the  phen¬ 
omena  of  life  and  intelligence.  As  the  liver  secretes 
bile,  so  the  brain  produces  thought.  Destroy  the 
brain  and  mind  disappears,  as  the  music  when  the 
instrument  is  broken. 

Look  you  and  see  the  strife  for  existence.  See 
you  the  myriads  of  human  beings  who  have  per¬ 
ished.  The  world  is  one  vast  charnel  house,  its 
material  being  worked  over  and  over  again  in  end¬ 
less  cycle.  Tooth  and  claw  to  rend  and  tear  ,  arrow, 
club,  spear,  sword,  and  gun  to  kill ;  the  weak  to  fall, 
the  strong  and  brutal  to  triumph,  to  multiply,  and 
advance  by  the  slaughter  of  its  own  weaker  mem¬ 
bers.  The  atom  you  can  not  see  with  unaided  eye 
devours  and  is  devoured,  and  ascending  to  man,  he 
is  by  turns  the  slayer  and  the  slain. 

There’s  not  an  atom  of  the  earth’s  thick  crust, 

Of  earth  or  rock,  or  metals’  hardened  rust, 

But  has  a  myriad  times  been  charged  with  life, 

And  mingled  in  the  vortex  of  its  strife  ; 

And  every  grain  has  been  a  battle  field 

Where  murder  boldly  rushed  with  sword  and  shield. 

Turn  back  the  rocky  pages  of  earth’s  lore, 

And  every  page  is  written  o’er  and  o’er 

With  wanton  waste.  The  weak  are  for  the  strong, 

And  Might  is  victor,  whether  right  or  wrong. 


86 


SCIENTIFIC  STUDY  OF  MAN. 


Enameled  armor  and  tesselated  scale, 

With  conic  tooth  that  broke  the  flinty  mail ; 

The  shell  protecting  and  the  jaw  which  ground 
The  shell  to  dust,  there  side  by  side  are  found  ; 

The  fin  that  sped  the  weak  from  danger’s  path, 

The  stronger  fin  that  sped  the  captor’s  wrath  ; 

A  charnel  house  where,  locked  in  endless  strife, 

Cycle  the  balanced  forces,  Death  and  Life. 

If  you  seek  for  a  meaning  or  a  purpose  you  will 
find  none.  What  you  call  design  is  only  the  har¬ 
mony  of  fluctuating  chances  produced  by  countless 
failures. 

Philosophy. — Invoke  philosophy  with  her  robes  of 
snow,  pretending  to  a  knowledge  of  the  world  and 
its  infinite  destiny  ;  it  will  tell  you  of  the  cycle  of 
being ;  the  succession  of  generations  ;  that  life  and 
death  complement  each  other,  and  that  all  you  may 
hope  for  is  change.  Unceasing  change  is  the  abid¬ 
ing  law,  and  he  who  grasps  to  hold,  will  find  but 
shadows  in  his  grasp. 

Religion. — Religion  may  teach  us  a  pessimistic 
view  of  the  world,  and  to  bow  like  cringing  slaves 
unquestioningly  to  the  rod.  We  may  accept  that  all 
is  for  the  best  whether  we  understand  it  or  not,  as  the 
unalterable  decree  of  fate,  yet  as  rational  beings  we 
recoil  from  this  bondage,  and  the  questions  are  ever 
present,  of  the  purpose  of  this  life,  and  the  evidences 
of  that  future  of  which  the  most  doubting  dream. 

Religion,  resting  as  it  does  on  the  immortality  of 
the  spirit,  should  answer  us  so  plainly  and  absolutely 
that  there  could  be  no  doubt.  That  there  is  weeping 
and  broken  hearts  shows  that  it  does  not,  or  else 
that  it  makes  that  existence  so  terrible  that  the 
dread  of  it  is  more  than  that  of  annihilation.  The 
fear  of  Hell,  which  has  driven  the  world  to  madness, 
is  now  cast  into  the  lumber  room  with  other  errors, 


RELIGION. 


37 


outgrown,  and  in  the  free  atmosphere  one  can  not 
understand  the  terrors  it  once  awakened.  The  arbi¬ 
trary  heaven  is  also  passing  away,  and  a  more 
natural  conception  of  the  future  life  is  gaining  pre¬ 
cedent.  Yet  the  words  of  teachers  of  religion  are 
cold  and  soulless,  and  even  the  poets,  touched  by  the 
finger  of  a  decaying  faith,  voice  the  incredulity  of 
the  age  in  lines  which  speak  only  in  despair.  Oh  ! 
poet  of  immortal  song,  how  chilling  to  the  heart  the 
words  that  yet  too  often  find  response  in  its  doubts 
and  fears : 

“And  the  stately  ships  go  on 
To  their  haven  under  the  hill ; 

But  oh  !  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand, 

And  the  sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still. 

“Break,  break,  break, 

At  the  foot  of  thy  crags,  O  sea  ! 

But  the  tender  grace  of  a  day  that  is  dead, 

Will  never  come  back  to  me.” 

There  is  little  consolation  to  be  found  in  these 
directions.  Let  us  turn  back  to  first  principles  ;  let 
us  for  a  time  forget  the  claims  of  scientists  and  take 
up  the  book  of  nature  at  her  plain  alphabet  and 
ascertain  whether  these  claims  of  material  science 
have  a  sure  foundation. 


What  is  the  Sensitive  State  ? 


A  Race  Without  Sight. — If  the  human  race  were 
born  without  organs  of  vision,  man  could  form  no 
idea  of  the  beautiful  and  splendid  phenomena  re¬ 
vealed  to  the  eye.  The  normal  state  would  be  blind- 


18 


WHAT  IS  THE  SENSITIVE  STATE t 


ness.  Day  and  night  would  be  marked  by  intervals 
of  repose  and  activity,  but  the  cloudy  midnight  and 
the  radiance  of  the  sun,  the  glories  of  morning,  the 
splendors  of  sunset,  the  star-gemmed  canopy  of 
the  cloudless  night,  the  infinite  changes,  the  phan¬ 
tasmagoria  of  heaven  and  earth,  would  be  unknown. 
The  flowers  might  bloom  in  beauty,  their  fragrance 
would  delight,  but  their  form  and  color  would  be 
unrecognized.  The  mind,  deprived  of  the  infinite 
series  of  sensations  which  flow  into  it  through  the 
sense  of  vision,  would  have  none  of  the  conceptions 
thereby  engendered.  If  a  being  who  could  see 
should  attempt  to  reveal  to  the  sightless  race  the 
beauties  of  the  world  as  seen  by  the  eye  in  the  light, 
they  would  treat  him  as  an  impostor  relating  an  idle 
tale,  to  them  incomprehensible. 

A  Race  Without  Hearing. — If  to  the  deprivation 
of  sight  were  added  the  loss  of  hearing,  the  vital 
powers  would  not  be  impaired  ;  the  organic  func¬ 
tions  would  continue  the  same,  but  all  sounds  would 
cease  and  perfect  silence  reign.  The  mind  could 
form  no  conception  of  music,  the  songs  of  birds,  the 
sighing  of  the  wind,  the  roar  of  the  storm,  or  the 
soft  modulations  of  the  human  voice.  As  nature 
would  be  voiceless,  so  man  would  be  dumb.  The  gift 
of  speech  would  be  lost  with  the  power  of  receiv¬ 
ing  the  sounds  of  words.  The  soul,  in  silence  and 
darkness,  unable  to  communicate  its  thoughts  with 
others,  would  be  bereft  of  all  the  sensations,  emo¬ 
tions,  and  conceptions  which  arise  from  seeing  and 
hearing,  nor  could  it  be  taught  these  by  those  who 
possessed  these  senses,  for  no  conceptions  could  be 
formed  of  sights  never  seen,  or  sounds  never  heard. 

Sensitiveness. — In  like  manner,  the  sensitive  con¬ 
dition  reveals  a  universe  which  is  unknown  to  the 


SENSITIVENESS. 


39 


senses,  and  of  which  man  is  as  profoundly  ignorant 
as  those  born  blind  are  of  light.  It  is  the  heritage 
of  all,  yet  manifested  only  at  rare  inteiwals  in 
favored  individuals.  It  is  as  it  would  be  with  the 
sense  of  sight,  were  thousands  blind,  while  a  few 
saw  imperfectly,  and  only  one  with  distinctness. 
The  sight  of  that  one  would  indicate  what  all  might 
attain  under  favorable  circumstances,  as  the  per¬ 
ception  of  those  who  are  sensitive  shows  what  is 
possible  in  this  direction.  It  is  through  this  gateway 
that  we  are  able  to  penetrate  the  arcana  of  a  higher 
existence,  and  it  is  our  purpose  to  go  by  easy  steps 
along  the  pathway  that  leads  into  the  vista  stretch¬ 
ing  beyond  this  portal,  into  unexplored  regions,  of 
which  scarcely  a  conception  has  yet  been  formed. 

We  have  consciousness  of  spiritual  realities,  of  an 
infinite  after-life,  and  aspirations  which  it  alone  can 
satisfy,  and  for  which  this  mortal  sphere  furnishes 
no  provision.  Shall  we  regard  these  aspirations  as 
idle  longings,  and  this  consciousness  as  a  baseless 
fancy  ?  Or  have  we  spiritual  energies  which  have 
called  this  spiritual  nature  into  being  ? 

The  eye  is  created  in  conformity  to  the  laws  of 
light,  to  receive  the  rays  and  allow  their  impinge¬ 
ment  on  the  optic  nerves.  It  is  proof  of  the  exist¬ 
ence  of  light.  In  the  same  manner,  spiritual  per¬ 
ception  is  evidence  of  the  existence  of  spiritual 
energies.  It  would  be  quite  as  difficult  for  the  mind 
to  comprehend  spiritual  being,  if  without  this  con¬ 
sciousness,  as  for  the  blind  to  understand  the  beau¬ 
ties  of  light. 

Sensitiveness  is  a  faculty  pertaining  to  the  spirit¬ 
ual  nature,  and  is  acute  in  proportion  as  that  spirit¬ 
ual  nature  dominates  the  physical  senses.  It  is 
possessed  by  all.  and  by  a  few  in  a  remarkable  de¬ 
gree.  It  is  variable  in  the  same  individual,  is  often 


40 


WHAT  IS  THE  SENSITIVE  STATE? 


the  result  of  drugs,  of  fatigue,  of  sleep,  and  may  be 
induced  or  intensified  by  hypnotism  or  mesmerism. 
It  may  manifest  itself  suddenly  and  at  long  inter¬ 
vals,  once  only  in  a  lifetime,  or  be  a  steadfast 
quality.  It  may  have  all  degrees  of  acuteness,  from 
impressibility  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  in¬ 
dividual's  own  thoughts,  to  the  purest  independent 
clairvoyance. 

Conditions  and  Illustrations  of  Sensitiveness. — 

For  one  mind  to  influence  another,  the  two  must  be 
in  harmony,  at  least  in  certain  points.  The  thought 
vibrations  in  one  will  -not  otherwise  awake  like 
vibrations  in  the  other.  Take  for  illustration  two 
musical  strings,  one  with  fixed  attachments,  and 
the  other  with  a  moveable  bridge  or  stop.  Now  if 
the  first  be  set  in  vibration,  the  other,  being  on  a 
different  key,  will  not  respond  in  unison,  but  the 
stop  will  slightly  move  ;  and  if  the  vibrations  con¬ 
tinue,  the  stop  will  move  forward  until  the  exact 
length  of  chord  is  attained,  and  then  both  strings 
will  vibrate  in  harmony,  one  repeating  the  notes  of 
the  other. 

If  an  hundred  musical  instruments  were  placed  in 
a  room,  only  two  of  which  were  tuned  alike,  if 
one  of  these  were  touched,  its  mate  would  respond, 
but  the  others  would  remain  silent. 

These  thought  vibrations  may  be  received  sud¬ 
denly  like  a  flash,  as  in  the  case  of  premonitions  and 
warnings  of  danger,  the  sensitive  state  lasting  but  a 
brief  time  ;  or  it  may  be  cultivated  and  become  per¬ 
manent  with  the  individual.  The  hypnotic,  or  som¬ 
nambulic  subject,  may  be  more  or  less  affected  at 
first,  and  slowly  fall  under  the  influence,  until  the 
continuous  condition  is  the  same  as  that  in  which  a 
premonition  is  received. 


CONDITIONS  OF  SENSITIVENESS. 


41 


As  an  illustration  of  the  method  by  which  this  is 
accomplished,  whether  the  operator  be  a  spirit  clad 
in  a  physical  or  in  a  celestial  body,  the  improve¬ 
ments  by  age  and  use  of  the  violin  may  be  taken. 

This  instrument,  the  most  perfect  of  all  in  its 
capacity  for  expressing  the  delicate  feelings  of  the 
soul,  gains  its  soft  sweetness  and  rich  perfection  by 
use  and  age.  The  cremona,  worth  its  weight  in 
gold,  may  once  have  been  harsh,  with  dissonant 
tones,  rasping  to  the  ear.  The  Tyrolese  maker 
selects  the  smoothest  wood  his  mountain  affords, 
clear  of  grain,  and  free  from  flaw  or  blemish.  He 
carves  the  parts  with  sedulous  care  and  exhaustless 
patience;  swell  and  curve  and  hollow  are  wrought, 
polished,  and  cemented  together  so  as  to  make  them 
as  one.  Then  the  delicate  strings  are  drawn  over  the 
bridge,  and  the  instrument  tested.  It  may  squeak 
or  jar,  and  refuse,  even  in  a  master’s  hands,  to  ex¬ 
press  his  desire.  But  with  every  vibration  of  the 
strings  it  improves.  Every  movement  changes  its 
fibers,  and  forces  them  into  harmonious  accord. 
After  a  time  they  will  all  be  in  unison.  The  play¬ 
ing  of  a  single  tune  may  not  produce  this  result;  a 
score  or  a  thousand  may  not.  It  may  pass  from 
hand  to  hand,  and  generation  after  generation  may 
grow  old  and  die,  as  each  successive  master  touches 
its  strings,  before  all  its  deepest  qualities  are  ex¬ 
pressed.  Then  its  tones  melt  in  voluptuous  har¬ 
mony;  wail  with  the  broken  hearted;  fill  the  soul 
with  the  gladness  of  delight ;  revive  the  murmur  of 
the  sombre  pines;  the  song  of  the  birds  in  the  for¬ 
est;  the  laughing  of  falling  waters;  the  hoarse  voice 
of  the  tempest  with  hail  and  lightning  flash,  rush  of 
winds  and  burst  of  clouds.  Nature  speaks  through 
the  instrument,  and  vibrates  the  heart  with  every 
emotion,  passion,  and  aspiration. 


42 


WHAT  IS  THE  SENSITIVE  STATE  f 


In  the  same  manner,  if  a  being  independent  of,  and 
detached  from  the  physical  body,  should  attempt  to 
impress  its  thoughts  on  a  sensitive,  it  might  no 
more  than  pai’tially  succeed  after  many  trials. 
Each  effort,  however,  would  be  more  successful,  for 
thought  vibrations  constantly  tend  to  efface  the 
causes  of  discord,  and  if  the  Intelligence  is  patient, 
and  the  sensitive  submissive,  the  thoughts  of  the 
former  would  at  last  flow  uninterruptedly  into  or 
through  the  mind  of  the  latter. 

And  what  is  thus  possible  for  a  sensitive,  in  re¬ 
gard  to  an  individual  intelligence,  is  possible  to 
acquire  in  relation  to  the  thought  atmosphere  of  the 
universe,  or  psychic-ether.  If  this  be  possible,  if  a 
being  may  become  thus  exquisitively  sensitive,  and 
receive  the  waves  of  thought  as  they  traverse  this 
ether,  as  the  eye  catches  vibrations  of  light,  that 
being  would  be  a  focus  to  receive  the  intelligence  of 
all  thinking  beings  in  the  universe. 

The  sensitive  state,  then,  is  the  outcropping  in 
mortal  life,  in  apparently  abnormal  form,  of  tliat 
which  is  normal  to  the  spirit  of  life.  We  thus  con¬ 
clude  that  its  most  astonishing  development,  as  re¬ 
vealed,  is  immeasurably  below  its  normal  capabili¬ 
ties  when  freed  from  the  limitation  of  the  body. 
The  permanent  condition  of  a  spiritual  being  after 
separation  from  the  physical  form  must  be  that  of 
the  most  perfect  and  delicatelyr  sensitive.  What  we 
see  here  m  partial  or  total  eclipse,  is  there  in  the 
glory  of  full  light. 

Thoughts  not  Words  Impressed. — While  Max  Mul¬ 
ler  ardently  supports  his  theory  that  thought  itself 
depends  upon  the  words  which  express  it,  we  con¬ 
stantly  meet  with  facts  which  indicate  that  the  idea. 
is  conveyed  from  one  mind  to  another,  and  there  is 


ILL  LUSTRATIONS  OF  SENSITIVENESS. 


43 


clothed  in  words  according  to  the  culture  of  the  re¬ 
ceiving  mind.  The  vividness  with  which  the  idea 
is  impressed  insures  the  use  of  similar  verbal  cloth¬ 
ing.  An  instance  is  reported  by  Dapson,  in  Deleuze. 
where  a  sealed  letter  was  given  a  very  susceptible 
magnetic  subject.  It  reads  : 

“No  other  than  the  eye  of  Omnipotence  can  read 
this  sentence  in  this  envelope. 

Troy,  New  York,  Aug.  1837.” 

The  subject  read  it : 

“No  other  than  the  eye  of  Omnipotence  can  read 
this  in  this  envelope. -  1837.” 

He  omitted  “  sentence,”  and  all  the  date  but  the 
year.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  in  all  instances  of 
thought  transferrence  or  sensitiveness,  the  repro¬ 
duction  of  names,  dates,  etc.,  expressed  by  arbitrary 
words,  are  the  most  difficult  and  unreliable,  and  this 
has  been  a  source  of  doubt,  and  an  argument  against 
the  truthfulness  of  the  magnetic  subject. 

It  requires  a  deeper  hypnotic  state  to  receive 
dates  and  names  correctly,  than  connected  ideas.  It 
is  because  ideas  and  not  the  verbal  form  are  received, 
that  culture  becomes  of  greatest  value  connected 
with  sensitiveness,  as  will  be  amplified  in  a  succeed¬ 
ing  section,  treating  on  misconceived  sensitiveness, 
whereby  is  made  possible  the  seemingly  superhu¬ 
man  achievements  of  .authors,  philosophers,  sages, 
statesmen,  and  inventors.  It  will  also  be  more  ex- 
Itendedly  treated  of  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the 
consideration  of  Dreams. 


44 


THE  SENS  IT  I VE  ST  A  TE. 


Sensitive  State:  Its  Division  into 
Mesmeric,  Somnambulic,  and 
Clairvoyant. 


The  Sixth  Sense. — In  the  normal  state  we  know 
and  understand  the  external  world  through  and  by 
the  senses.  The  eye  reveals  to  us  the  beauties  of 
light,  and  by  its  aid  the  wondrous  diversities  of 
nature.  The  ear  brings  to  the  mind  the  varied 
sounds,  makes  oral  speech  and  the  sweet  harmonies 
of  music  possible.  The  organ  of  smell  sentinels 
the  citadel  of  health  against  pestiferous  odors,  and 
gives  the  exquisite  enjoyment  of  perfumes.  Ordi¬ 
narily  we  rely  on  these  senses  as  our  guides,  and  so 
complete  is  our  reliance  that  we  recognize  no  other 
avenue  to  knowledge  of  the  external  world;  yet  at 
times  we  find  that  our  minds  extend  beyond  the 
senses  and  have  capabilities  which  can  not  be  re¬ 
ferred  to  them.  There  is  an  interior  perception, 
which  has  been  called  the  sixth  sense,  which,  sensi¬ 
tive  to  impressions  from  supernal  sources,  at  times 
rises  above  all  the  others.  It  is  through  this  sense 
or  better,  this  sensitive  state,  that  we  gain  an  in’ 
sight  into  the  spiritual  nature  of  man.  The  senses 
would  lead  us  away  to  a  gross  materialism,  for  they 
belong  to  the  animal  organization ;  this  sensitive¬ 
ness  leads  us  in  an  opposite  direction.  We  find 
through  it  another  nature  overlaid  and  obscured  by 
the  senses  and  their  understanding.  This  sensitive 
state  is  the  activity  of  the  spiritual  being,  in  the 
ratio  of  its  perfection,  and  is  really  as  normal  as  the 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


45 


most  sensuous  condition.  The  study  of  this  state  is 
the  gateway  to  the  understanding  of  our  spiritual 
being,  and  the  first  lesson  it  teaches  is  that  man  is  a 
dual  creation ;  a  spirit,  an  intelligent  entity,  clothed 
with,  and  circumscribed  by,  a  physical  body.  Only 
so  far  as  that  body  interferes  with  the  activity  of 
the  spirit,  is  it  of  interest  to  us  in  the  present  dis¬ 
cussion,  which  relates  entirely  to  the  spirit. 

This  sensitive  state  is  possessed  by  many,  and  in 
many  more  it  may  be  induced  by  proper  means.  It 
may  be  laid  down  as  a  rule  that  whatever  r/eakens 
the  physical  faculties  strengthens  this  spiritual  per¬ 
ception.  Thus  it  is  often  manifested  in  disease,  after 
fatigue,  or  in  the  negative  hours  of  sleep.  Some 
drugs  have  the  power  of  inducing  it,  and  mesmer¬ 
ism  is  the  strongest  of  all  artificial  means.  I  use  the 
term  sensitive  with  the  meaning  here  given,  and 
from  that  meaning  shall  not  deviate.  Many  who 
possess  this  power  in  a  slight  degree  may  not  dis¬ 
tinguish  its  perceptions  from  those  of  the  senses 
with  which  they  blend,  but  there  are  times  when 
the  mind  passes  into  an  entirely  different  state  from 
that  of  its  normal  activity,  that  of  sensitive  recep¬ 
tivity,  and  what  is  usually  termed  intuition  is  in¬ 
tensified.  I  propose  to  study  this  sensitive  state  first 
in  connection  with  that  of  wakefulness,  and  then 
with  that  of  sleep ;  and  from  simple  thought-read¬ 
ing  to  the  reception  of  thought  from  supernal 
sources. 

Hitherto  the  discussion  of  spirit  has  been  con¬ 
sidered  impracticable  by  scientific  methods,  and 
theology  and  metaphysics  have  occupied  the  field. 
In  this  border-land  between  the  known  and  the  un¬ 
known,  ignorance  and  charlatanry  have  held  high 
carnival,  and  those  who  love  scientific  accuracy 
perhaps  are  excusable  in  regarding  the  belief  in 


46 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


spiritual  beings  as  a  superstition ;  yet  there  has  ac¬ 
cumulated  as  folk  lore,  as  myths,  as  an  outside, 
out-of-the-way  literature,  a  vast  mass  of  material, 
some  of  which,  it  is  true,  is  mere  rubbish,  through 
which  gleams  bright  veins  of  truth,  showing  the 
close  relations  between  the  seen  and  the  unseen 
universes.  Here  and  there  a  sensitive  mind  has  re¬ 
ceived  the  light  in  clearer  effulgence,  and  made 
the  surrounding  gloom  more  densely  impenetrable. 
At  remote  intervals  the  oriflame  of  the  spiritual  con¬ 
ception  of  nature  has  flashed  athwart  the  intervals 
of  gross  materialism,  but  religion,  moral  conduct, 
not  knowledge,  has  been  the  motive.  This  age  de¬ 
mands  knowledge  for  its  own  sweet  sake,  assured 
that  the  highest  morality  will  flow  therefrom.  In 
the  study  of  the  conditions  of  the  mind,  the  various 
states  of  sleep,  clairvoyance,  somnambulism,  etc., 
will  be  defined  and  illustrated. 

Sleep. — Sleep  is  the  “twin  sister  of  death”  only  m 
appearance,  for  aside  from  poetic  fancy,  sleep  is  the 
negative  condition  of  activity.  In  perfect  sleep  all 
the  faculties  of  the  mind  are  in  repose,  and  the 
bodily  functions  go  on  with  the  least  waste.  It  is 
essentially  restful  and  recuperative.  The  waste  of 
the  body,  its  wear  and  tear  of  muscle  and  nerve  is 
repaired ;  new  cells  take  the  place  of  those  broken 
down,  and  the  debris  moves  slowly  forward  to  the 
excretory  organs  and  is  eliminated. 

In  this  state  of  negative  repose  there  is  no  mani¬ 
festation  of  thought,  and  it  is  as  unlike  the  clair¬ 
voyant  or  sensitive  state  as  that  of  wakefulness; 
but  shaded  into  this  state  of  sleep,  as  into  that  of 
wakefulness,  are  various  degrees  of  sensitiveness. 
The  conditions  of  sleep  are  provocative  of  this  im¬ 
pressibleness.  Night  is  negative;  the  silence  and 


MESMERIC  SI  A  IE. 


47 


the  vail  of  darkness  shutting  out  external  ob¬ 
jects  conduce  to  make  the  mind  negative  and 
susceptible. 

At  midnight  is  the  culmination  of  this  negative¬ 
ness,  and  hence  the  ghastly  dread  of  that  hour 
has  a  foundation  in  fact,  and  is  not  an  idle  super¬ 
stition  Ghosts  may  never  appear,  yet  if  they  were 
to  appear  the  midnight  hour,  of  all  others,  would  be 
assigned  by  tbe  student  cognizant  of  this  fact  for 
them  to  come  like  shafts  of  frozen  moonshine,  into 
the  walks  of  men. 

Mesmeric  State.— Mesmerism,  under  whatever 
name,  animal  magnetism,  hypnotism,  etc.,  is  a 
potent  means  in  the  study  of  psychology.  It  has 
made  it  possible  to  command  many  of  the  most 
evanescent  phenomena,  and  allow  of  their  careful 
examination,  when  otherwise  they  came  at  rare  in¬ 
tervals  and  at  such  unexpected  moments  as  made  it 
impossible  to  carefully  compare  and  study  them. 
Somnambulism,  clairvoyance,  and  that  state  of  ex¬ 
quisite  sensitiveness  which  makes  us  receptive  of 
impressions  transformed  into  dreams,  may  be  com¬ 
manded  in  a  sensitive,  and  observed  at  leisure. 

In  the  commencement  we  must  free  ourselves 
from  the  commonly  received  idea  that  sleep  has  any 
resemblance  to  any  of  these  several  states  which  are 
usually  called  magnetic,  mesmeric,  or  clairvoyant 
sleep.  As  already  stated,  sleep  is  the  negative 
of  being,  and  more  distinct  from  these  states  of  ex¬ 
alted  perception  than  waking,  The  incongruous 
and  often  incoherent  visions  which  arise  in  the 
half-waking  state,  or  when  only  a  part  of  the 
mental  faculties  are  at  rest,  are  the  ordinary 
dreams,  which  have  no  significance,  and  are  very 
different  in  their  origin  and  meaning  from  the  im- 


4« 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


pressions  received  in  the  sensitive  state,  which  is 
one  of  intense  wakefulness  and  activity.  The  sen¬ 
sitive  condition  is  possessed  in  a  marked  degree  by 
about  one  in  five,  and  may  be  induced  in  a  still 
larger  ratio.  It  is  more  frequently  found  in  wo¬ 
men  than  in  men.  _It  may  be  cultivated,  and  be¬ 
come  an  important  factor  in  the  character  and  hap¬ 
piness  of  the  individual. 

We  will  simply  for  convenience  divide  the  sensi¬ 
tive  state  into  the  hypnotic,  somnambulic  and  clair¬ 
voyant  ;  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  these 
merge  into  each  other ;  and  that  no  sharp  line  can 
be  drawn  between  them. 

Mesmerism  may  be  regarded  as  the  method  by 
which  all  of  these  states  may  be  induced.  The 
mesmeric  state  is  equivalent  to  the  hypnotic.  After 
years  of  delay,  mesmerism  has  been  accepted  under 
another  name,  that  of  hypnotism ;  but  the  theory 
of  a  “  fluid  ”  or  specific  influence  is  discarded.  Hyp¬ 
notists  cannot,  however,  exceed  the  most  common 
experiments  without  the  facts  demanding  even  as  a 
working  hypothesis,  this  specific  influence. 

The  ticking  of  a  watch  held  close  to  the  ear,  or  in¬ 
tensely  gazing  at  some  object,  will  throw  a  sensitive 
into  an  abnormal  condition,  at  the  mercy  of  the 
‘•'dominant  idea,”  and  he  becomes  an  automaton  in 
the  hands  of  an  external  influence.  This  is  the 
hypnotic  state,  beyond  which  the  “dominant  idea” 
fails.  A  sensitive  may  be  led  by  a  “dominant 
idea,”  but  soon  manifests  a  power  which  stretches 
beyond  into  an  unexplored  region  of  possibilities, 
exhibiting  mental  perceptions  far  more  acute  than 
those  possess  who  are  around  him,  or  he  himself 
possesses  in  his  normal  condition.  Hypnotism  as 
treated  by  its  exponents'  is  an  extremely  compli¬ 
cated  state,  ranging  from  the  cataleptic  to  the  in- 


MESMERIC  STATE. 


49 


dependent  clairvoyant.  To  define  it  with  the  usual 
narrow  meaning  is  extremely  misleading  and  un¬ 
scientific. 

There  are  two  distinct  states  of  hypnotism.  The 
first  is  that  in  which  most  platform  experiments  are 
made.  The  sensitive  is  capable  of  carrying  on  con¬ 
versations,  answering  questions,  and  is  governed 
by  a  “dominant  idea,”  believing  all  the  operator 
wishes,  and  doing  as  commanded. 

The  sensitive  rapidly  enters  the  next  stage,  when 
he  becomes  insensible  to  pain,  and  irresponsive  to 
the  address  of  any  one  except  the  operator.  Until 
this  stage  is  reached  consciousness  and  memory  are 
retained,  a  fact  fatal  to  the  theory  of  automatic  ac¬ 
tion  or  “unconscious  cerebration.”  In  this  profound 
state  the  sensitive  has  no  memory  of  events  which 
occur.  It  is  an  induced,  incipient  somnambulism, 
the  true  counterpart  of  that  which  under  proper 
condition  appears  spontaneously. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Hypnotism,  vol. 
I.,  p.  95,  of  Proceedings  of  American  Society  for 
Psychical  Research,  shows  that  it  confined  its  atten¬ 
tion  to  fifty  or  sixty  students  of  Harvard  College. 
Of  these  about  a  dozen  were  affected,  and  of  these, 
two  were  so  good  that  attention  was  confined  to 
them. 

“  The  extraordinary  mixture,  in  the  hypnotic 
trance,  of  preternatural  refinement  of  discrimina¬ 
tion  with  the  grossest  insensibility,  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  features  of  the  condition.  A  blank 
sheet  of  paper,  with  fine- cut  edges,  Avithout  water¬ 
marks  or  any  thing  which  could  lead  to  the  recogni¬ 
tion  of  one  side  or  edge  from  the  other,  is  shown  to 
the  subject  with  the  statement  that  it  is  a  photo¬ 
graph  of  a  well-known  face.  As  soon  as  he  distinctly 
sees  the  photograph  upon  its  surface,  he  is  told  that 


50 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


it  will  float  off  from  the  paper,  make  a  voyage 
around  the  walls  of  the  room,  and  then  return  to  the 
paper  again.  During  this  imaginary  performance, 
he  sees  it  successfully  on  the  various  regions  of  the 
wall ;  but  if  the  paper  is  meanwhile  secretly  turned 
over,  and  handed  to  him  upside  down,  or  with  its 
under  surface  on  top,  he  instantly  recognizes  the 
change,  and  seeing  the  portrait  in  the  altered  posi¬ 
tion  of  the  paper,  turns  the  latter  about,  ‘  to  get  the 
portrait  right.’  ” 

In  the  hypnotic  state  the  subject  is  under  the  con¬ 
trol  of  the  operator,  and  in  a  great  degree  an  auto¬ 
maton  ;  in  the  somnambulic,  he  in  part  regains  his 
individuality,  and  in  certain  lines  of  thought  and 
action  is  superior  to  himself  in  his  waking  moments. 
Natural  somnambulism  comes  without  warning, 
and  illustrates  the  condition  induced  by  mesmeric 
passes. 

Somnambulism. — Sleep  waking,  or  sleep  walking, 
whatever  may  be  its  cause,  mental  derangement  by 
disease  or  intense  exertion  of  mind  or  body,  or  a  con¬ 
stitutional  inclination  thereto,  is  of  deepest  interest 
to  the  psychologist  as  proving  the  independence  of 
the  spirit  of  the  physical  senses.  The  somnambulist 
has  lost  the  use  of  his  senses.  He  feels,  hears  and 
sees  nothing  by  touch,  ear  or  eye,  and  yet  the  ob¬ 
jects  to  which  his  attention  is  drawn  are  plainly 
perceptible. 

The  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  is  authority  for  the 
following  narrative  :  A  young  clergyman  was  in  the 
habit  of  rising  from  his  bed,  and  writing  his  ser¬ 
mons  while  asleep.  When  he  had  written  a  page  he 
would  read  it  aloud  and  correct  it.  Once  in  altering 
the  expression  “  ce  devin  enfant,''  he  substituted  the 
word  “ adorable ”  for  “devin,”  which,  commencing 


BOMNAMB  ULISM. 


51 


with  a  vowel,  required  that  “  ce”  before  it  should  be 
changed  to  “ cet he  accordingly  added  the  “t” 
While  he  was  writing  the  Archbishop  held  a  piece 
of  pasteboard  under  his  chin  to  prevent  him  seeing 
what  he  was  writing,  but  he  went  on  without  being 
in  the  least  incommoded.  The  paper  on  which  he 
was  writing  was  removed  and  another  piece  substi¬ 
tuted,  but  he  at  once  perceived  the  change.  He  also 
wrote  pieces  of  music  with  his  eyes  closed.  He  once 
wrote  the  words  under  the  notes  too  large,  but  dis¬ 
covering  his  mistake,  he  erased  and  rewrote  them. 
He  certainly  did  not  see  with  his  eyes  and  yet  the 
vision  was  perfect. 

The  case  of  Jane  C.  Rider,  known  as  the  Spring- 
field  somnambulist,  created  in  its  time  much 
wonder  and  speculation  among  intelligent  persons 
acquainted  with  the  facts.  A  full  account  of  it  was 
published  in  the  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Jour¬ 
nal,  Volume  XI.,  Numbers  4  and  5.  Miss  Rider 
would  walk  in  her  sleep,  attend  to  domestic  duties 
in  the  dark  or  with  her  eyes  bandaged,  and  read 
in  a  dark  room  with  her  eyes  covered  with  cot¬ 
ton  batting,  over  which  was  tied  a  black  silk  hand¬ 
kerchief.  She  learned  without  difficulty  to  play  at 
backgammon  while  in  this  state,  and  would  gen¬ 
erally  beat  her  antagonist,  though  in  her  normal 
state  she  knew  nothing  about  the  game. 

A  young  lady,  while  at  school,  succeeded  in  her 
Latin  exercises  without  devoting  much  time  or  at¬ 
tention  to  them,  apparently.  At  length  the  secret 
of  her  easy  progress  was  discovered.  She  was  ob¬ 
served  to  leave  her  room  at  night,  take  her  class- 
book,  and  go  to  a  certain  place  on  the  banks  of  a 
small  stream,  where  she  remained  but  a  short  time 
and  then  returned  to  the  house.  In  the  morning 
she  was  invariably  unconscious  of  what  had  oc- 


52 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


curred  during  the  night ;  but  a  glance  at  the  les¬ 
son  of  the  day  usually  resulted  in  the  discovery 
that  it  was  already  quite  familiar  to  her. 

A  young  man  on  a  farm  in  Australia,  after  a  hard 
day's  work,  went  to  sleep  on  a  sofa ;  after  some 
little  time  he  arose,  passed  through  several  gates, 
opening  and  fastening  them.  Reaching  the  shed, 
he  took  off  his  coat,  sharpened  his  shears,  caught 
a  sheep,  and  had  just  finished  shearing  it  when  his 
companions  came  with  lanterns  in  search  of  him. 
The  shock  of  awaking  caused  him  to  tremble  like 
a  leaf,  but  he  soon  recovered.  The  sheep  was 
shorn  as  perfectly  as  if  the  work  had  been  done  in 
broad  daylight. 

Moral  Effect  of  Mesmerism. — Dr.  Voisin  recom¬ 
mends  a  s  ggestive  application  of  mesmerism.  He 
experimented  on  a  coarse,  debauched  and  lazy  wo¬ 
man,  who  was  susceptible  to  magnetism ;  and  kept 
her  in  the  mesmeric  sleep  ten  or  twelve  hours  a 
day,  and  to  its  value  as  a  curative  agent  he  added 
moral  education.  During  her  sleep  he  suggested 
ideas  of  obedience,  of  submission,  of  decency,  and 
exhorted  her  to  useful  labor.  In  this  sleep  she 
memorized  whole  pages  of  moral  books.  A  com¬ 
plete  transformation  was  effected  in  her  in  a  few 
months. 

What  a  glorious  field  here  opens  for  the  moral 
reformer !  The  calloused  criminal  who  will  not 
listen  to  moral  suasion,  deaf  alike  to  entreaty  and 
prayer,  may  he  hypnotized,  and  in  that  susceptible 
condition  taught  the  Lord’s  Prayer  and  moral  pre¬ 
cepts;  his  moral  nature  roused  and  thus  he  trans¬ 
formed  into  a  new  being.  The  influence  of  some 
men  when  brought  into  contact  with  criminals  is 
explained  by  their  strong  mesmeric  or  hypnotic  in- 


TRANCE  AND  CLAIRVOYANCE. 


53 


fluence.  They  always  lift  up  those  they  control. 
They  are  born  masters,  though  they  may  not  un¬ 
derstand  the  cause  of  their  strength. 

Trance  and  Clairvoyance. — The  trance  or  clair- 
vayant  state  has  been  observed  in  all  ages  and 
among  all  races  of  mankind.  It  has,  in  seasons  of 
great  religious  excitement,  become  epidemic,  the 
devotee  falling  in  convulsions,  becoming  cataleptic, 
and  after  hours,  days,  or  even  months  of  apparent 
death,  awakening  with  mind  overwrought  with 
visions  of  the  strange  world  in  which  it  had  dwelt 
during  the  period  of  unconsciousness. 

The  records  of  clairvoyance  are  as  old  as  history. 
If  prophecy,  the  “clear  seeing  of  the  future,”  be  its 
fruit,  the  prophets  and  sages  of  the  past  were  all 
more  or  less  endowed  with  this  gift.  Socrates  and 
Apollonius  predicted,  and  were  conscious  of,  events 
transpiring  at  remote  distances.  Cicero  mentions 
that  when  the  revelations  are  being  given,  someone 
must  be  present  to  record  them,  as  “these  sleepers 
do  not  retain  any  recollection  of  them.”  Pliny, 
speaking  of  the  celebrated  Hermotimus,  of  Clazo- 
menese,  remarks  that  his  soul  separated  itself  from 
the  body,  and  wandered  in  various  parts  of  the 
earth,  relating  events  occurring  in  distant  places. 
During  the  period  of  inspiration  his  body  was  in¬ 
sensible.  The  day  of  the  battle  of  Pharsalia,  Cor¬ 
nelius,  a  priest  of  profound  piety,  described  while  in 
Padua,  as  though  present,  every  feature  of  the  fight. 
Nicephorus  says  that  when  the  unfortunate  Valens, 
taking  refuge  in  a  barn,  was  burned  by  the  Goths,  a 
hermit  named  Paul,  in  a  fit  of  ecstacy,  cried  out  to 
those  who  were  with  him:  “It  is  now  that  Valens 
burns.”  Tertulian  describes  two  females,  celebrated 
for  their  piety  and  ecstacy,  that  they  entered  that 


54 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


state  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation,  revealed 
celestial  secrets,  and  knew  the  innermost  hearts  of 
persons. 

St.  Justin  affirms  that  the  sibyls  foretold  events 
correctly,  and  quotes  Plato  as  coinciding  with  him 
in  that  view.  St.  Athenagoras  says  of  the  faculty 
of  prescience,  that  “it  is  proper  to  the  soul.”  Vol¬ 
umes  might  be  readily  filled  with  quotations  like  the 
foregoing,  showing  that  clairvoyance  has  been  re¬ 
ceived  as  true  by  profound  thinkers  In  every  age. 
Swedenborg,  Zschokke,  Davis,  are  not  peculiarities 
of  modern  times,  but  repetitions  of  Socrates,  Apol¬ 
lonius,  and  countless  others  Avho  deeply  impressed 
their  personality  on  their  times. 

What  is  Clairvoyance? — Clairvoyance  is  a  peculiar 
state  of  impressibility,  presenting  gradations  from 
semi -consciousness  to  profound  and  death-like 
trance.  Whether  natural,  or  induced  by  artificial 
means,  the  attending  phenomena  are  similar.  In 
its  most  perfect  form  the  body  is  in  deepest  sleep. 
A  flame  may  be  applied  to  it  without  producing  the 
quiver  of  a  nerve ;  the  most  pungent  substances 
have  no  effect  on  the  nostrils ;  pins  or  needles  thrust 
into  the  most  sensitive  part  give  no  pain ;  surgical 
operations  may  be  performed  without  being  felt. 
Hearing,  tasting,  smelling,  feeling,  as  well  as  see¬ 
ing,  are  seemingly  independent  of  the  physical 
organs.  The  muscular  system  is  either  relaxed  or 
rigid;  the  circulation  impeded  in  some  cases  until 
the  pulse  becomes  imperceptible ;  and  respiration 
leaves  no  stain  on  a  mirror  held  over  the  nostrils. 

In  passing  into  this  state,  the  extremities  become 
cold,  the  brain  congested,  the  vital  powers  sink,  a 
dreamy  unconsciousness  steals  over  the  faculties  of 
the  mind.  There  is  a  sensation  of  sinking  or  float- 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


55 


ing.  After  a  time  the  perceptions  become  intensi¬ 
fied  ;  we  can  not  say  the  senses  are  intensified,  for 
they  are  of  the  body,  which  for  the  time,  is  in¬ 
sensible. 

The  mind  sees  without  the  physical  organs  of 
vision,  hears  without  the  organs  of  hearing,  and 
feeling  becomes  a  refined  consciousness,  which 
brings  it  en  rapport  with  the  intelligence  of  the 
world.  The  more  death-like  the  conditions  of  the 
body,  the  more  lucid  the  mind,  which  for  the  time 
owes  it  no  fealty. 

If,  as  there  is  every  reason  to  believe,  clairvoyance 
depends  on  the  unfolding  of  the  spirit's  perception, 
then  the  extent  of  that  unfolding  marks  the  degree 
of  its  perfection.  However  great  or  small  this  may 
be,  the  state  itself  is  the  same,  differing  only  in  de¬ 
gree,  whether  observed  in  the  Pythian  or  Delphic 
oracle,  the  visions  of  St.  John,  the  trance  of  Mo¬ 
hammed,  the  epidemic  catalepsy  of  religious  re¬ 
vivals,  or  the  illumination  of  Swedenborg.  The 
revelations  made  have  a  general  resemblance,  but 
they  are  so  colored  by  surrounding  circumstances 
that  they  are  extremely  fallible.  The  tendency  of 
the  trance  is  to  make  objective  the  subjective  ideas 
acquired  by  education.  This  is  exhibited  in  cases  of 
religious  ecstacy  and  trance,  when  the  subject  sees 
visions  of  winged  angels  and  of  Christ ;  transform¬ 
ing  dogmas  and  beliefs  into  objective  realities. 
Such  revelations,  of  course,  have  no  more  value  than 
the  illusory  visions  of  the  fever-stricken  patient. 

Yet  there  is  a  profound  state  which  sets  this  aside, 
and  divests  the  mind  of  all  trammels,  and  brings  it 
into  direct  contact  with  the  thought  atmosphere  of 
the  world — the  phyeho-ether.  Time  and  space  for 
it.  then,  have  no  existence,  and  matter  is  trans¬ 
parent. 


56 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


The  weakening  of  the  physical  powers  by  disease 
is  favorable  to  sensitiveness.  As  the  senses  are 
deadened,  the  powers  of  the  interior  consciousness 
are  quickened,  and  a  new  world  rises  above  the 
horizon  of  the  corporeal  senses. 

Evidence  of  the  truth  of  clairvoyance  was  given 
in  the  Brooklyn  Eagle,  soon  after  the  loss  of  the 
“Arctic,”  in  1854.  The  wife,  son  and  daughter  of 
Captain  Collins  were  making  the  tour  of  Europe, 
and  the  Captain,  to  gratify  a  passing  whim,  con¬ 
sulted  a  clairvoyant  as  to  their  locality.  The  answer 
was  that  they  were  at  that  time  visiting  a  church, 
which  was  accurately  described.  When  the  wife’s 
letter  came,  it  contained  a  narrative  of  a  visit  to  a 
church  at  exactly  the  same  hour,  describing  it  as 
the  clairvoyant  had  done,  thus  showing  that  the 
communication  was  quite  correct. 

As  the  family  had  arranged  to  return  on  the 
“Arctic,”  and  as  the  ship  was  a  day  late,  of  course 
Captain  Collins  became  anxious.  Sunday  and  Mon¬ 
day  passed  without  news  from  the  ship,  and  his 
anxiety  increased.  He  thought  of  the  clairvoyant 
and  called  on  her.  At  first,  although  apparently 
deeply  entranced,  she  could  see  nothing.  Every¬ 
thing  was  in  a  cloud.  At  length  she  was  able  to  see 
the  three  persons  standing  on  the  deck  of  a  ship, 
amid  great  confusion,  and  almost  concealed  in  fog 
and  mist.  This  was  all  she  could  discern.  This  was 
nearly  two  days  before  the  telegraph  announced  the 
loss  of  the  “  Arctic,”  and  the  arrival  of  a  boat-load 
of  survivors  on  the  Canadian  coast.  But  the  Collins 
family  were  not  among  the  saved. 

If  we  compare  what  may  be  called  artificially  in¬ 
duced  with  the  spontaneous  clairvoyance,  we  shall 
find  them  similar.  The  first  example  is  of  a  sensi¬ 
tive,  a  youth  of  seventeen,  who  was  blindfolded  by 


CLAIRVOYANCE  FROM  DISEASE. 


57 


means  of  soft  paper  folded  double,  and  then  gummed 
over  his  eyelids,  and  a  silk  handkerchief  tied 
over  this  paper.  Under  these  circumstances  the 
sensitive  was  able  to  take  a  pack  of  cards  and  select 
any  one  called  for,  read  the  pages  of  a  book,  al¬ 
though  those  present  were  ignorant  of  the  words, 
his  sensitiveness  being  entirely  independent  of  the 
knowledge  of  those  around  him. 

Clairvoyance  from  Disease. — There  are  instances 
where  persons  have  fallen  into  this  sensitive  or  clair¬ 
voyant  state  by  disease  or  a  nervous  shock,  and  in 
the  prolonged  trance  which  followed,  manifested  all 
the  phenomena  usual  to  the  induced  somnambulic 
or  clairvoyant  state,  even  in  higher  degree.  Of  these 
Mollie  Fancher  is  one  of  the  best  examples.  She  was 
called  the  “  sleepless  girl  of  Brooklyn,”  and  for  nine 
years,  it  is  claimed  by  competent  authority,  did  not 
sleep,  and  ate  so  little  food  that  it  was  claimed  she 
did  not  partake  of  any.  She  was,  at  fifteen  years  of 
age,  healthy,  but  delicately  organized.  At  that  time 
she  was  thrown  from  a  street  car,  and  her  head  and 
body  injured.  A  day  or  two  afterwards  she  was 
seized  with  violent  spasms.  One  by  one  her  senses 
failed.  Sight  was  first  to  leave,  and  hearing  fol¬ 
lowed.  Then  she  lost  her  speech,  and  then  the  abil¬ 
ity  to  swallow.  This  last  she  had  not  been  known  to 
exercise  for  nine  years,  and  during  the  same  length 
of  time  her  eyelids  Avere  closed.  She  took  no  sleep, 
unless  the  intervals  of  trance  be  called  sleep.  She 
was  breathless  and  rigid  as  dead.  These  spasms 
lasted  less  than  a  minute,  and  were  accompanied 
with,  or  followed  by,  violent  muscular  contortions. 

Her  lower  limbs  became  tAvisted  entirely  around 
each  other.  Her  right  arm  was  bent  upward  and 
doubled  under  her  head.  She  had  no  use  of  her  right 


58 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


hand  at  all,  and  of  the  left  hand  only  the  thumb  and 
little  finger.  Lying  all  the  time,  night  and  day,  upon 
her  right  side,  her  right  hand  cramped  under  her 
neck,  and  only  her  left  free,  with  closed  eyes,  and 
working  back  of  her  head,  as  she  was  forced  to  do, 
she  wrought  the  most  exquisite  worsted  work  and 
wax  flowers.  The  darkness  or  light  were  all  the  same 
to  her ;  in  fact,  the  light  was  painful  to  her,  and  even 
the  gas-light  was  placed  in  the  further  corner  of  the 
room  and  shaded.  She  regained  hearing  and  speech 
after  several  years,  but  otherwise  her  conditions 
remained  unchanged.  She  knew  the  thoughts  of 
those  who  came  near  her  ;  printed  pages  or  a  sealed 
letter  held  in  her  hand  back  of  her  head  were 
readily  read.  Mr.  Henry  Parkliurst  made  many 
experiments  to  test  her  powers.  She  repeatedly 
read  sealed  letters  he  gave  her,  and,  as  a  crucial 
test,  he  took  a  letter  at  random  from  the  waste 
basket  of  an  acquaintance,  tore  it  in  strips,  and  then 
cut  the  stripes  into  squares.  He  shook  the  pieces 
well  together,  put  them  into  an  envelope,  and  sealed 
it.  This  he  handed  the  blind  girl.  She  passed  her 
hand  over  it  several  times,  took  a  pencil  and  wrote 
the  letter  verbatim.  Mr.  Parkliurst  opened  the 
envelope,  arranged  the  pieces,  and  found  she  had 
made  a  perfect  copy. 

Not  satisfied,  with  the  assistance  of  two  friends, 
Mr.  Parkliurst  secured  an  ancient  mining  report, 
yellow  with  age,  and  with  averted  face,  so  that  he 
might  not  see  the  contents,  he  tore  out  a  page  of 
tabulated  figures  with  explanation.  This  he  folded 
and  tore  into  scores  of  pieces.  Some  of  the  pieces 
fell  on  the  floor  and  were  allowed  to  remain  there. 
The  others  he  put  in  an  envelope  and  sealed,  and 
handed  to  one  of  his  assistants,  who  put  it  in  an¬ 
other  envelope,  which  he  also  sealed  and  handed  to 


CLAIRVOYANCE  FROM  DISEASE. 


59 


the  third,  who  enclosed  it  in  the  same  manner. 
Then  the  party  went  to  Miss  Fancher’s  room,  and 
asked  her  to  give  them  the  contents  of  the  envelope. 
She  took  it  in  her  hand  and  wrote,  “  It  is  nonsense  ; 
figures  in  which  there  are  blank  places,  words  that 
are  incomplete,  and  sentences  in  which  words  are 
missing.  ”  She  wrote  on,  in  some  sentences  skip¬ 
ping  three  or  four  words,  and  began  with  the  last 
five  letters  of  a  word  having  ten  letters.  The  table 
of  figures  she  made  contained  blank  spaces,  but  she 
wrote  it  out ;  and  the  gentleman  returned  to  Mr. 
Parkhurst’s,  where  they  arranged  the  pieces  in  their 
original  form.  They  found  that  the  copy  made  by 
Miss  Fanclier  was  absolutely  correct,  and  the  blank 
spaces  represented  the  pieces  left  on  the  floor. 
When  these  were  fitted  in,  the  broken  sentences 
were  complete. 

Dr.  Spier,  from  the  first  her  attending  physician, 
watched  her  case  with  unrelenting  vigilance,  and 
made  a  full  record  of  her  changing  symptoms.  One 
day  he  received  a  note  from  her.  warning  him  that 
an  attempt  would  be  made  to  rob  him,  and  the  next 
day  the  attempt  was  made.  She  knew  when  he 
was  coming,  and  would  mention  the  moment  he 
started  from  his  residence,  a  mile  away.  In  the 
early  stages  of  her  illness,  Dr.  Spier  adminstered  an 
emetic  to  test  whether  the  claim  that  she  had  not 
partaken  of  food  was  true.  It  gave  her  great  pain, 
and  proved  that  her  stomach  was  empty.  She  well 
knew  the  nature  of  the  medicine,  although  pur- 
posely  he  attempted  to  keep  it  from  her.  Soon  after 
she  went  into  the  rigid  condition  which  lasted  nine 
years.  When  she  began  to  recover,  the  memory  of 
these  nine  years  was  gone,  and  she  only  remem¬ 
bered  the  incidents  of  the  previous.  Nine  years  and 
a  half  after  admin  storing  the  test,  when  Dr.  Spier 


60 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


entered  the  room,  Miss  Fancher  broke  out  with : 
“You  thought  I  didn’t  know  you  gave  me  that 
medicine,  but  I  did.  You  wanted  to  learn  if  food 
was  in  my  stomach,  but  found  none  there.  It  made 
me  very  sick.  You  will  not  do  so  again,  will  you  ?” 

Thus  she  returned  after  all  that  time  to  the 
thought  which  she  had  at  the  moment  of  entering 
on  that  strange  experience.  She  had  a  double  life, 
and  did  not  remember  anything  which  occurred  in 
her  trance. 

A  Similar  Case  in  England. — The  case  of  Mollie 
Fancher  is  not  alone,  although,  perhaps,  not  more 
remarkable  than  that  of  Miss  Eliza  Hamilton,  of 
England.  A  physician  visited  her  in  1882,  when 
she  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  found  that 
in  1881  she  had  met  with  a  severe  injury  which 
had  caused  paralysis  of  her  limbs  and  right  arm. 
She  had  been  treated  at  the  hospital  for  four 
months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  she  ceased  to  take 
food  and  returned  home.  He  saw  her  about  two 
months  thereafter,  and  thus  speaks  of  her:  “She 
frequently  passes  into  a  trance  condition,  in  which 
her  left  arm  becomes  as  stiff  and  immovable  as  her 
right  one.  She  sings  hymns  and  repeats  passages 
from  the  Bible,  but  is  quite  insensible  to  pain  Avhen 
pinched  or  pricked  with  a  pin ;  nor  does  she  hear 
or  speak  when  addressed.  When  she  revives,  she 
tells  her  friends  that  she  has  been  to  various  places 
and  seen  various  people,  and  describes  conversa¬ 
tions  which  she  has  had,  and  objects  she  has  seen 
in  the  rooms  of  persons  she  has  been  visiting. 
These  descriptions,  on  inquiry,  are  found  to  be  cor¬ 
rect.  ...  At  times  she  speaks  of  having  been 
in  the  company  of  persons  with  whom  she  was  ac¬ 
quainted  in  this  world,  but  who  have  passed  away ; 


CLAIRVOYANCE  FROM  DISEASE. 


61 


and  she  tells  her  friends  that  they  have  become 
much  more  beautiful,  and  have  cut  off  the  infirmi¬ 
ties  with  which  they  were  afflicted  while  here.  She 
often  describes  events  which  are  about  to  happen  to 
her,  and  are  always  fulfilled  exactly  as  she  pre¬ 
dicts.” 

Her  father  read  in  her  presence  a  letter  he  had  re¬ 
ceived  from  a  friend  in  Leeds,  speaking  of  the  loss 
of  his  daughter,  about  whose  fate  he  and  his  family 
were  very  unhappy,  as  she  had  disappeared  nearly  a 
month  before  and  left  no  trace.  Eliza  went  into  the 
trance  state,  and  cried  out,  “  Rejoice  !  I  have  found 
the  lost  girl  !  She  is  happy  in  the  angel  world.” 
She  said  the  girl  had  fallen  into  dark  water  where 
dyers  washed  their  cloths  ;  that  her  friends  could 
not  have  found  her  had  they  sought  her  there,  but 
now  the  body  had  floated  a  few  miles  and  could  be 
found  in  the  River  Aire.  The  body  was  found  as 
described. 

Now,  knowing  that  her  eyes  were  closed,  that  she 
could  not  hear,  that  her  bodily  senses  were  in  pro¬ 
found  lethargy,  how  are  we  to  account  for  the  in¬ 
tensity  and  keenness  of  sight,  the  quick  deftness  of 
figures  enabling  her  to  make  the  most  beautiful 
contrast  of  colors  in  her  worsteds,  or  the  delicate 
adjustment  of  the  petals  of  her  flowers  P  Her  men¬ 
tal  powers  were  exceedingly  exalted,  and  scarcely 
a  question  could  be  asked  her  but  she  correctly  an¬ 
swered. 

In  this  case  the  independence  of  the  mind  of  the 
physical  body  shown  in  every  instance  of  clairvoy¬ 
ance,  is  proven  beyond  cavil  or  doubt.  If  it  is 
demonstrated  that  the  mind  sees  without  the  aid 
of  eyes,  hears  when  the  ears  are  deaf,  feels  when 
the  nerves  of  sensation  are  at  rest,  it  follows  that 
it  is  independent  of  these  outward  avenues,  and  has 


62 


THE  SENSITIVE  STATE. 


other  channels  of  communication  with  the  external 
world  essentially  its  own. 

It  must  be  here  observed  that  as  long  as  the  mind 
is  united  with  the  body,  usually  the  physical  senses 
overlay  and  conceal  the  higher  pyschic  faculties. 
|The  mind  seemingly  is  dependent  on  the  body,  and 
is  changeful  to  corporeal  conditions.  It  becomes 
enfeebled  by  disease,  by  accidents  to  the  brain,  and 
at  times  disappears,  like  a  lingering  spark  from  a 
flame,  in  the  dotage  of  age.  This,  however,  is  only 
external  appearance,  arising  from  the  limitations 
fixed  by  the  contact  with  physical  matter,  as  the 
light  of  the  sun  may  be  shut  out  by  an  opaque 
body. 

The  case  of  Laura  Bridgeman  is  an  illustration 
and  evidence  from  another  point  of  view  that  the 
intellect  is,  in  a  measure  at  least,  independent  of  the 
senses.  Completely  deprived  of  sight  and  hearing 
at  an  early  period  of  childhood,  she  was  a  blind  and 
deaf  mute.  She  never  had  any  knowledge,  through 
the  eyes,  of  the  bright  landscape,  of  the  glorious  sun, 
morning  and  evening,  the  blue  sky,  the  floating 
clouds,  the  waving  trees,  the  green  hills,  the  beauti¬ 
ful  flowers.  All  was  darkness  and  profound  night. 
She  never  heard  the  exquisite  notes  of  harmony,  of 
instrument  or  modulated  voice,  the  sigh  of  winds, 
the  carol  of  birds.  To  her  all  had  been  unbroken 
silence.  Dr.  Howe,  her  kind  and  angelic  teacher, 
says  :  “As  soon  as  she  could  walk  she  began  to  ex¬ 
plore  the  rooms  of  the  house.  She  became  familiar 
with  forms,  density,  weight,  and  heat,  of  every 
article  she  could  lay  her  hands  upon.  .  .  .  An 

attempt  was  made  to  give  her  knowledge  of  arbi¬ 
trary  signs  by  which  she  could  interchange  thoughts 
with  others.  There  was  one  of  two  ways  to  be 
adopted :  Either  to  go  on  and  build  up  a  language 


CLAIRVOYANCE  FROM  DISEASE. 


63 


of  signs  which  she  had  already  commenced  her¬ 
self,  or  to  teach  her  the  purely  arbitrary  language 
in  common  use ;  that  is,  to  give  her  a  sign  for  every 
individual  thing,  or  to  give  her  a  knowledge  of  let¬ 
ters,  by  combinations  by  which  she  could  express 
her  ideas  of  the  existence,  and  the  mode  and  condi¬ 
tion  of  existence  of  anything.  The  former  would 
have  been  easy,  but  very  ineffectual ;  the  latter 
seemed  difficult,  but  if  accomplished,  very  effectual- 
I  determined,  therefore,  to  try  the  latter.” 

After  describing  the  process  by  which  he  taught 
her  to  associate  names  with  things,  he  goes  on  to 
say;  ‘‘Hitherto  the  process  had  been  mechanical, 
and  the  success  about  as  great  as  teaching  a  know¬ 
ing  dog  a  variety  of  tricks.  The  poor  child  had  sat 
in  mute  amazement,  and  patiently  imitated  every¬ 
thing  her  teacher  did.  But  now  the  truth  began  to 
flash  upon  her ;  her  intellect  began  to  work ;  she 
perceived  that  here  was  a  way  by  which  she  could 
herself  make  up  a  sign  of  anything  that  was  in  her 
mind,  and  show  it  to  another  mind,  and  at  once  her 
countenance  lighted  up  with  a  human  expression. 
It  was  no  longer  a  dug  or  a  parrot ;  it  was  an  im¬ 
mortal  soul,  eagerly  seizing  upon  a  link  of  union 
with  other  spirits !  I  could  almost  fix  upon  the 
moment  the  truth  first  dawned  upon  her  mind,  and 
spread  its  light  to  her  countenance.  I  saw  that  the 
great  obstacle  was  overcome,  and  henceforth  noth¬ 
ing  but  patient  perseverance,  and  plain,  straight¬ 
forward  efforts  were  to  be  used.” 

At  the  end  of  the  year,  a  report  of  the  case  was 
made,  from  which  the  following  extract  is  taken  : 
“It  has  been  ascertained  beyond  a  possibility  of  a 
doubt,  that  she  can  not  see  a  ray  of 'light,  can  not 
hear  the  least  sound,  and  never  exercises  her  sense 
of  smell  if  she  has  any.  Thus  her  mind  dwells  in 


64  SENSITIVENESS  PROVED  BY  P YS CHOMETR Y. 


darkness  and  stillness,  as  profound  as  that  of  a 
closed  tomb  at  midnight.  Of  beautiful  sights,  sweet 
sounds,  and  pleasant  odors,  she  has  no  perception ; 
nevertheless,  she  is  happy  and  playful  as  a  lamb,  a 
bird,  and  the  enjoyment  of  her  intellectual  faculties, 
or  the  acquirement  of  a  new  idea,  gives  her  a  vivid 
pleasure,  which  is  plainly  marked  in  her  expressive 
features.  ...  In  her  intellectual  character,  it 
was  pleasing  to  observe  an  insatiable  thirst  for 
knowledge  and  a  quick  perception  of  the  relation 
of  things.  In  her  moral  character,  it  is  beautiful 
to  behold  her  continued  goodness,  her  keen  enjoy¬ 
ment  of  existence,  her  expansive  love,  her  unhesi¬ 
tating  confidence,  her  sympathy  with  suffering,  her 
conscienciousness,  truthfulness  and  hopefulness.” 

Her  spirit  was  locked  within  her  body  without  the 
least  contact  with  the  world  through  the  most  use¬ 
ful  senses  ;  yet  she  not  only  thought,  but  thought  in 
the  same  manner  as  those  who  possess  these  senses 
in  perfection.  If  thought  depends  on  the  senses, 
then  the  quality  of  thought  should  change  when  de¬ 
prived  of  the  senses.  It  is  true  that  when  thus  fet¬ 
tered  in  expression,  it  does  not  escape  the  limitations 
of  its  surroundings,  yet  in  the  struggle  we  see  the 
indication  of  the  limitless  possibilities  of  the  spirit 
when  these  are  cast  aside. 


Sensitiveness  Proved  by  Psyehometry. 


Light  emanating  from  suns  and  worlds,  as  it 
wings  its  swift  way  across  the  regions  of  space, 
bears  on  its  rays  the  pictures  of  every  object  from 


PS  YCHOMETRIC  IMA  GES. 


G5 


which  it  is  emptied  or  reflected,  and  hence  the  uni¬ 
verse,  from  center  to  remotest  bounds,  is  filled  with 
pictures  ;  is  a  vast  storehouse  of  photographs  of  all 
events  from  the  fading  of  a  leaf  to  the  revolution  of 
a  world  since  time  began.  Thus  a  ray  of  light  leav¬ 
ing  the  earth  during  the  coal  age  bears  a  picture  of 
the  then  existing  gigantic  forests  and  inky  seas, 
and  is  yet  somewhere  passing  the  remote  coastlines 
of  unknown  systems,  and  could  some  swifter  mes¬ 
senger  overtake  it,  he  would  have  a  view  of  the 
world  as  it  was  when  that  ray  was  reflected  from 
the  carboniferous  period.  The  messenger  is  not 
needed  to  overtake  the  fugitive  ray,  fo*  the  light 
thus  reflected,  struck  against  rock  and  tree,  and 
photographed  the  images  of  every  moment  since  the 
stars  first  sang  together.  Every  atom  still  vibrates 
to  the  molding  hand  of  life  under  which  it  has  at 
some  time  passed,  and  the  sensitive  mind  is  able  to 
catch  these  vibrations  and  interpret  their  meaning 
in  forms  of  thought.  The  discovery  of  this  wonder¬ 
ful  faculty  of  the  mind  is  not  of  recent  date. 

Almost  fifty  years  ago  an  Episcopal  Bishop  re¬ 
marked  to  Dr.  Buchanan  that  when  he  touched 
brass,  even  in  the  night,  when  he  could  not  know 
with  what  substance  he  came  in  contact,  he  at  once 
felt  a  disagreeable  influence  and  recognized  an 
offensive  metallic  taste.  Such  experience  had  been 
common  to  a  great  number  of  persons,  and  fre¬ 
quently  observed,  but  this  time  it  was  called  to  the 
attention  of  the  right  man.  All  the  world  for  ages 
bad  seen  bodies  fall  to  the  ground,  and  countless 
millions  of  eyes  have  seen  the  phenomenon  with  no 
more  thought  than  the  brute,  until  a  falling  apple 
drew  the  attention  of  Newton.  Dr.  Buchanan  at 
once  saw  that  there  was  a  profound  philosophy 
back  of  this  fact  which  transcended  the  senses.  He 


G6  SENS  I TI 1 'ENESS  PROVED  RY  PS YCHOM ETR F. 

began  a  lengthy  series  of  experiments,  by  which  he 
discovered  that  it  was  by  no  means  rare  for  persons 
to  be  affected  by  metallic  and  other  substances.  In 
a  class  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  students  at  the 
Eclectic  Medical  College,  forty-three  were  sensitive 
in  greater  or  less  degree.  Medicines  held  in  the 
hand  without  any  knowledge  of  their  properties, 
produced  the  same  effect,  varying  only  in  degree  as 
when  taken  into  the  stomach.  By  placing  the  hand, 
or  merely  coming  into  the  atmosphere  of  a  deceased 
person,  the  sensitive  was  able  to  locate  and  describe 
the  disease.  In  this  field  Dr.  Buchanan  has  stood 
almost  alone,  until  recently  M.  Bourru  and  M.  Burot 
of  the  Naval  Medical  School  at  Roclifort,  have  made 
extended  experiments  on  the  “action  of  medicines 
at  a  distance,”  which  is  really  another  way  of  stat¬ 
ing  the  facts  observed  by  him  a  generation  ago. 
They  held  the  metals  and  drugs  six  inches  or  so 
from  the  back  of  the  head  of  the  patients  and 
proved  all  that  Dr.  Buchanan  claimed  for  his  dis¬ 
covery. 

But  the  discoverer  did  not  rest  here;  he  went  a 
step  further  and  found  that  a  letter  or  any  article 
having  been  brought  in  contact  with  the  person, 
when  taken  in  the  hand  or  placed  on  the  forehead  of 
one  sufficiently  sensitive,  gave  the  character  of  its 
writer  or  owner.  Repeated  experiments,  such  as 
any  one  may  make,  prove  beyond  question  that  the 
sensitive  can  Tn  this  manner  read  the  character  of 
the  writer  from  his  writings,  his  state  of  health, 
better  than  the  most  intimate  friend,  or  even  the 
writer  himself.  It  is  a  marvelous  statement,  but 
only  marvelous  in  our  not  understanding  its  cause. 
When  this  is  revealed,  and  mystery  removed,  the 
subject  allies  itself  with  other  phenomena  of  mind, 
having  their  origin  in  impressibility. 


PS YCHOMETR Y  BY  PROF.  DENTON. 


67 


Prof.  Denton  carried  the  results  of  psychometry 
far  beyond  the  boundaries  reached  by  Dr.  Buchanan. 
If  the  world  is  one  vast  picture  gallery  of  every  act 
and  thought  since  the  beginning  of  time,  the  fossil 
shell,  the  rock-fragment,  the  broken  arrow  head, 
the  shred  of  mummy,  and  the  rush  leaf  from  the 
banks  of  the  Nile  should  reproduce  in  the  sensitive 
the  story  of  their  origin  and  age.  By  a  great  num¬ 
ber  of  experiments,  the  details  of  which  fill  three 
volumes,  Prof.  Denton  sought  to  establish  this  gen¬ 
eralization  and  write  the  geological  and  pre-historic 
history  of  the  earth.  That  he>  found  a  kernel  of 
truth  can  not  be  denied,  but  he  allowed  sources  of 
error  to  creep  in  and  vitiate  his  wonderfully  sug¬ 
gestive  and  patient  research.  A  person  sensitive  to 
the  degree  that  enables  him  to  feel  the  influences 
given  to  a  fragment  of  stone  thousands  of  years 
ago,  would  be  more  strongly  impressed  with  the  in¬ 
fluence  imparted  by  the  one  who  secured  it,  and 
held  it  in  his  hands  before  the  experiment.  It  is 
from  this  cause  that  uncertainty  rests  on  his  other¬ 
wise  well-planned  experiments.  Yet  he  has  proved 
that  such  sensitiveness  exists,  and  that  by  it  the 
story  of  history  from  fragments  of  ruined  archi¬ 
tecture  may  be  read,  and  scenes  in  geological  ages 
by  fossil,  bone  or  shell  be  described. 

How  ?  Really  pschometry,  depending  on  the  sen¬ 
sitiveness  of  the  brain,  is  a  lower  degree  of  clairvoy¬ 
ance,  and  is  merged,  in  its  clearest  forms,  therein. 
Sensitiveness  means  the  capability  of  receiving  the 
psycho-ether  waves  as  they  pulsate  from  some  cen¬ 
ter,  and  as  everything  touched  by  life  is  in  a  state 
of  such  vibration,  the  recognition  is  only  a  question 
of  the  delicacy  of  the  receiving  organization. 

There  is  a  vast  accumulation  of  narratives  of 
ghosts,  witches,  apparitions,  hallucinations,  illu- 


68  SENSITIVENESS  PROVED  BY  PS YCHOMETR Y. 

sions,  dreams,  etc.,  which  it  is  the  present  fashion 
to  relegate  to  the  sphere  of  superstition  and  ignor¬ 
ance.  Many  of  these,  however  anomalous,  have  a 
foundation  in  fact,  and  Avill  be  found,  when  stripped 
of  the  portions  superstition  has  added,  readily  ex¬ 
plainable,  either  as  subjective,  arising  from  impres¬ 
sions  on  the  sensitive,  or  as  objective  and  manifest¬ 
ed  by  the  same  principles.  As  sensitiveness  to 
these  subtile  influences  greatly  varies  in  different 
individuals  and  at  different  times  in  the  same 
individual,  and  at  times  becomes  clairvoyance, 
scarcely  an  illustration  can  be  given  of  oue  without 
introducing  the  other.  We  must  constantly  bear  in 
mind  that  there  is  one  fundamental  cause  back  of 
all  these  so-called  occult  phenomena,  varying  in 
the  degree  of  its  manifestation  in  accord  with  the 
channel  through  which  it  flows. 

Subjective  Spectral  Illusions. — Dr.  Abercombie 
is  authority  for  the  following  illustration  of  subject¬ 
ive  spectral  illusions  :  “A  gentleman  of  high  mental 
endowments,  and  now  upwards  of  eighty  years  of 
age,  of  spare  habits  and  enjoying  uninterrupted 
health,  has  been  for  eleven  years  subject  to  the 
daily  visits  of  spectral  figures.  They  in  general  pre¬ 
sent  human  countenances;  the  head  and  body  are 
distinctly  defined,  the  lower  parts  are  for  the  most 
part,  lost  in  a  kind  of  cloud.  The  figures  are  vari¬ 
ous,  but  he  recognizes  the  same  countenances  re¬ 
peated  from  time  to  time,  especially  of  late  years, 
that  of  an  elderly  woman,  with  a  peculiarly  arch 
and  playful  expression,  and  a  dazzling  brilliancy  of 
eye,  who  seems  just  ready  to  speak  with  him.  .  .  . 
This  female  is  dressed  in  an  old-fashioned  Scottish 
plaid  of  Tartan,  drawn  up  and  brought  forward  over 
the  head,  and  then  crossed  below  the  chin,  as  the 


SUBJECTIVE  SPECTRAL  ILLUSIONS. 


09 


plaid  was  worn  by  aged  women  in  his  younger  daj's. 
He  can  seldom  recognize  among  the  spectres  any 
figure  or  countenance  which  he  remembers  to  have 
seen ;  but  his  own  face  has  been  presented  to  him, 
gradually  undergoing  the  change  from  youth  to 
manhood,  and  from  manhood  to  old  age.” 

It  is  not  necessary  to  call  in  the  aid  of  an  invisible 
being  to  explain  such  appearances.  The  house  had 
been  occupied  by  Scotch  who  dressed  as  described, 
and  the  influence  they  left  impressed  itself  on  the 
gentleman’s  sensitive  brain. 

“  All  houses  where  men  have  lived  and  died  are 
haunted  houses,”  not  by  actual  ghosts,  but  by  the 
subtile  force  which  persons  impart  to  everything 
with  which  they  come  in  contact.  That  he  was 
subject  to  some  influence  outside  of  himself  is  shown 
by  the  appearances  always  being  of  some  one  that 
he  had  never  seen,  and  hence  they  could  not  have 
been  revived  pictures  from  his  own  brain.  After 
he  had  been  in  the  house  for  a  long  time  he  began 
to  see  his  own  face  ;  that  is,  after  he  had  imparted 
his  own  influence  to  his  surroundings,  he  received 
them  back  as  from  a  mirror. 

Dendy,  in  his  “  Philosophy  of  Mystery,”  mentions 
“M.  Audral,  who  in  his  youth  saw,  in  La  Pitie,  the 
putrid  body  of  a  child  covered  with  larvae,  and 
during  the  next  morning  the  spectre  of  this  corpse 
lying  on  his  table  was  as  perfect  as  reality.”  He 
could  not  see  it  by  a  mental  effort,  nor  any  where 
else  than  on  his  table,  and  whenever  he  looked  at 
that,  the  appearance  at  once  came.  It  may  be  said 
in  explanation,  that  the  sight  of  the  disgusting 
object  produced  a  strong  impression  on  the  optic 
nerves  and  mind,  and  a  suggestive  object,  as  the 
table  reproduced  the  same  state.  We  have  no  evi¬ 
dence  that  one  object,  under  the  same  light,  affects 


70  SENSITIVENESS  PROVED  BY  PSYCHOMETRY. 

the  optic  nerves  more  than  any  other  would  under 
the  same  circumstances.  Vivid  mental  impressions 
are  more  readily  reproduced  than  those  that  scarcely 
ruffle  the  surface  of  thought;  hut  this  does  not  ac¬ 
count  for  the  student  not  seeing  the  appearance  at 
any  other  time  or  place  than  on  the  table  where 
it  had  laid,  and  which  we  would  say  retained  the 
influence  imparted  to  it  by  the  body  having  lain 
there. 

Professor  Hitchcock  says  that  during  a  severe 
sickness,  ‘‘day  after  da3r  visions  of  strange  land¬ 
scapes  spread  out  before  him — mountain,  lake  and 
forest ;  vast  rocks,  strata  upon  strata  piled  to  the 
clouds ;  the  panorama  of  a  world  shattered  and 
upheaved,  disclosing  the  grim  secrets  of  creation, 
the  unshapely  and  monstrous  rudiments  of  organic 
being.'’  His  son,  Professor  Charles  Hitchcock,  adds 
that  his  father  saw  the  sandstone  beds  of  the  Con¬ 
necticut  valley  spread  out  before  him,  covered  with 
tracks,  and  by  the  superior  insight  wrought  by  sick¬ 
ness,  cleared  up  some  doubtful  points  to  which  he 
had  vainly  given  his  attention.  Professor  Hitch¬ 
cock  became,  in  consequence  of  his  sickness,  ex¬ 
ceedingly  sensitive,  and  the  geological  specimens 
near  him,  or  that  he  had  handled,  brought  up  in  his 
mind  the  pictures  of  their  primeval  age. 

Hallucinations.— The  received  definition  of  an 
hallucination  is  a  false  perception  without  any 
material  basis,  being  formed  entirely  in  the  mind. 
An  individual  who  sees  pictures  on  a  blank  wall, 
or  who  hears  voices  when  no  sound  reaches  his 
ear,  is  hallucinated.  “The  reason  for  this  being 
that  the  erroneous  perception  constituting  the  hal¬ 
lucination  is  found  in  that  part  of  the  brain  which 
ordinarily  requires  the  excitation  of  sensorial  im- 


HA  LL  UCINA  TICKS. 


pressions  for  its  functions.”  In  this  view,  halluci¬ 
nation  is  evidence  of  mental  derangement  and  in¬ 
cipient  insanity.  This  explanation  is  by  no  means 
sufficient  for  this  class  of  facts.  That  a  certain 
tract  of  brain  can  of  itself  give  the  mind  eompli-. 
cated  representations,  never  before  seen  or  imaged 
in  the  mind,  is  not  established.  The  reappearance 
of  objects  that  have  been  seen  is  better  explained, 
and  still  more  satisfactorily,  by  causes  which  unite 
them  all  together,  and  with  all  like  phenomena. 
George  Combe  says  of  a  painter  who  inherited  much 
of  the  patronage  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  and  be¬ 
lieved  himself  to  possess  a  talent  superior  to  his,  was 
so  fully  engaged  that  lie  had  painted  three  hundred 
large  and  small  portraits  in  one  year.  The  fact 
appeared  physically  impossible,  but  the  secret  of  his 
rapidity  and  astonishing  success  was  this  :  He  re¬ 
quired  but  one  sitting  of  his  model.  His  method 
was  as  follows,  as  given  by  himself  :  “  When  a  sit¬ 
ter  came,  I  looked  attentively  on  him  for  half  an 
hour,  sketching  from  time  to  time  on  the  canvas. 

I  did  not  require  a  longer  sitting.  I  removed  the 
canvas,  and  passed  to  another  person.  When  I 
wished  to  continue  the  first  portrait,  I  recalled  the 
man  to  my  mind.  I  placed  him  on  the  chair,  where 
I  perceived  him  as  distinctly  as  though  really  there, 
and,  I  may  add,  in  form  and  color  more  decidedly 
brilliant.  I  looked  from  time  to  time  at  the  imagin¬ 
ary  figure  and  went  on  painting,  occasionally  stop¬ 
ping  to  examine  the  picture  exactly  as  though  the 
original  was  before  me ;  whenever  I  looked  towards 
the  chair  I  saw  the  man.  This  method  made  me 
very  popular,  and  as  I  always  caught  the  resem¬ 
blance,  the  sitters  were  delighted  that  I  spared 
them  the  annoying  sittings  of  other  painters.” 

This  painter  was  far  from  insipient  insanity.  He 


72  SEUFSITIVENtiSS  PROVED  BY  PS YCHOMETR i . 

was  sensitive  to  impressions,  and  able  by  that  or¬ 
ganization  to  recall  the  image  of  the  sitter,  but  not 
that  of  one  who  had  not  occupied  the  chair. 

The  Rev.  T.  L.  Williams,  Yicar  of  Perthleven, 
in  “  The  Journal  of  the  Society  for  Psychical  Re¬ 
search,  July,  1885,  gives  his  personal  experience : 
“On  an  occasion  when  I  Avas  absent  from  homl. 
my  wife  awoke  one  morning,  and  to  her  surprf< 
and  alarm  saw  me  standing  by  the  bedside  looking 
at  her.  In  her  fright  she  covered  her  face  with  the 
bed  clothes,  and  when  she  ventured  to  look  agab 
the  appearance  was  gone.  On  another  ocean 
when  I  was  not  absent  from  home,  my  wife  sv 
me,  as  she  supposed,  coming  from  church  in  sue 
plice  and  stole.  I  came  a  little  way,  she  says  _ 
turned  round  the  corner  of  the  building,  where, 
lost  sight  of  me.  I  was  at  the  time  in  the  church 
in  my  place  in  the  choir,  where  she  was  much  sm' 
prised  to  see  me  on  entering  the  building.  .  .  . 

My  daughter  has  often  told  me,  and  now  repeats 
the'  story,  that  she  was  passing  my  study  door, 
which  was  ajar,  and  looked  in  to  see  if  I  was  thee? 
She  saw  me  in  my  chair,  and  as  she  caught  sig 
of  me,  I  stretched  out  my  arms,  and  drew  my  handv  \ 
across  my  eyes,  a  familiar  gesture1  of  mine.  Is 
in  the  village  at  the  time.  Now,  nothing  occult 
at  or  about  the  times  of  these  appearances  to  givt 
any  meaning  to  them.”  He  adds:  “A  good  man'i 
years  ago  there  was  a  devout  young  woman  li\;i  : 
in  my  parish,  who  used  to  spend  much  of  her  spare 
time  in  church  in  meditation  and  prayer.  She  used 
to  assert  that  she  frequently  saw  me  standing  at 
the  altar  when  I  certainly  was  not  there  in  the 
body.”  Mr.  Williams  must  have  been  a  man  pecu¬ 
liarly  endowed  with  psychic  force  to  thus  impress 
himself. 


HALL  UCINA  TIONS. 


73 


The  following  is  from  the  pen  of  the  gifted  Mary 
Howitt,  and  not  only  gives  a  remarkable  fact,  but 
her  explanation  of  the  same :  “  I  conducted  Mrs. 
Nenner  through  a  room  which  contained  some 
anoient  furniture  and  a  quantity  of  valuable  old 
china.  This  china  had  been  left  in  our  care  by  a 
Mend  during  his  lengthened  absence  abroad.  His 
noughts  from  his  place  of  sojourn  at  the  antipodes 
constantly  reverted  to  these  heirlooms. 

“  ‘Who  are  these  six  gentlemen,  evidently  broth- 
-”8,  sitting  where  the  old  china  is?’  asked  Mrs. 
ner,  when  we  had  passed  through  the  room. 
‘There  was  no  one  there  at  all,’  I  said,  much 
.  rprised. 

''  Then,’  said  she,  ‘  I  must  have  seen  six  brother 
as.  There  they  were  sitting;  tall,  fair  men, 
light  haired,  all  strikingly  alike,  all  the  same  age. 
""hey  must  be  brothers  !’ 

“  I  recognized  in  her  description  the  owner  of  the 
china.  Before  Mrs.  Nenner  left,  we  showed  her  a 
portrait  of  the  owner  of  the  china,  our  friend  on 
he  other  side  of  the  world.  She  at  once  said,  ‘  Oh, 
..at  is  one  of  the  six  brothers  !  ’  In  some  mysteri¬ 
ous  manner  the  intensity  of  thought  fixed  by  the 
essor  of  the  china  upon  his  possessions — we 
.  ..ew  that  his  thoughts  constantly  reverted  to  them— 
ad  been  able  to  manifest  itself  to  the  sight  in  the 
orm  of  the  man  himself,  but  multiplied  into  six 
ms.  It  should  be  observed  that  this  gentleman 

I  was  of  what  now  we  should  term  a  ‘  mediumistic’ 
temperament.  It  is  possible,  that  being  at  the  an¬ 
tipodes,  he  might  be,  at  the  time  his  multiplied  form 
ijwas  beheld,  asleep — it  being  night  there  when  it  is 
day  with  us — and  that  his  thoughts  might  have,  in  a 
dream,  revisited  England.” 

Since  civilization  began,  mankind  have  held  certain 


74  SJBNSITIVJENHS8  PROVED  BY  PIS YCHOMETR Y. 


stones  and  metals  as  precious,  and  attributed  rare 
qualities  to  charms,  relics  and  amulets.  We  may 
indulge  our  mirth  over  the  miraculous  qualities 
ascribed  to  the  bones  of  martyrs  and  tbe  teeth  of 
saints,  a  bit  of  wood  from  the  true  cross;  but  casting 
aside  the  rubbish  gathered  by  imposture  and  credu¬ 
lity,  we  discover  a  great  truth.  Precious  stones  and 
metals  have  become  so  because  of  the  subtile  power 
of  their  emanations.  In  a  true  relic  the  sensitive 
perceives  the  full  expression  of  the  original  owner’s 
life,  and  feels  it  reproduced  in  him.  As  the  phono¬ 
graph  treasures  up  the  tone,  the  accent,  the  quality 
of  the  voice,  and  the  thought  of  the  speaker,  so  the 
relic  preserves  and  constantly  gives  forth  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  one  it  represents. 

Shrines  and  holy  places  have  cause  for  being 
regarded  as  sacred,  and  their  preservation  in  purity 
for  the  one  and  only  purpose  is  correct  in  science. 
The  church  devoted  to  the  worship  of  Jehovah  holds 
its  devotees  with  the  invisible  bonds  reaching  out 
from  the  walls  forged  from  the  ps3rcho-aura  of  all 
preceding  worshippers.  That  the  members  hold  their 
houses  exclusively  for  certain  uses  may  be  the  result 
of  superstition,  but  they  are  right  in  thus  doing.  A 
church  building  given  over  during  the  week  to  shows 
and  entertainments,  and  nightly  filled  with  the  class 
such  would  draw,  would  become  so  saturated  with 
worldly  influences  as  to  be  unfit  for  the  promul¬ 
gation  of  the  highest  religious  thought  on  Sunday. 
Both  audience  and  minister  would  feel  the  depres¬ 
sing  effect,  and  religious  zeal  would  reach  zero. 

How  strong  and  enduring  the  impress  stamped  on 
a  relic  or  jewel  may  be,  is  shown  in  the  following  story 
told  of  Robert  Browning  by  Mr.  Knowles  ( Spectator , 
Jan.  30,  1869):  “Mr.  Robert  Browning  tells  me  that 
when  he  was  in  Florence  some  years  since,  an  Italian 


SENSITIVENESS  DURING  SLEEP. 


75 


nobleman  (Count  Guinasi)  was  brought  to  his  house. 
The  Count  professed  to  have  great  mesmeric  powers, 
and  declared  in  reply  to  Mr.  Browning’s  avowed  skep¬ 
ticism,  he  would  convince  him  of  his  powers.  He 
then  asked  Mr.  Browning  whether  he  had  anything 
about  him  then  and  there,  which  he  could  hand  him, 
and  which  was  in  anyway  a  memento  or  relic.  It  so 
happened  by  curious  accident,  that  Mr.  Browning 
was  wearing  under  his  coat  sleeves  some  gold  wrist 
studs  to  his  shirt,  which  he  had  quite  recently  taken 
into  wear  in  absence  of  his  ordinary  wrist-buttons. 
He  had  never  before  worn  them  in  Florence,  or  else¬ 
where,  and  found  them  in  an  old  drawer  where  they 
had  lain  forgotten  for  years.  One  of  these  he  took 
out  and  handed  to  the  Count,  who  held  it  in  his  hand 
awhile  and  then  said  as  if  much  impressed,  ‘  There 
is  something  here  which  cries  out  in  my  ear,  Murder  ! 
murder  !  ’ 

“And  truly,”  said  Mr.  Browning,  “these  studs 
were  taken  from  the  dead  body  of  a  great  uncle  of 
mine,  who  was  violently  killed  on  his  estate  in  St. 
Kitts  nearly  eighty  years  ago.  They  were  produced 
in  court  as  proofs  that  robbery  had  not  been  the  ob¬ 
ject  of  the  strangler,  which  was  effected  by  his  own 
slaves.  They  were  taken  out  of  the  night-gown  in 
which  he  died  and  given  to  me.” 


Sensitiveness  During  Sleep. 

The  Index  published  the  following  : 

“  Recently  the  youngest  child  of  Warren  Wasson 
(Katie)  fell  into  a  well  and  was  nearly  drowned.  A 
day  or  two  since,  a  letter  was  received  from  Mr* 


76 


SENSITIVENESS  DURING  SLURP. 


Wasson,  who  is  in  Oregon,  written  before  he  had 
heard  of  the  occurrence.  He  stated  that  on  the 
same  Sunday,  at  the  time  of  the  accident,  he  was 
taking  a  nap,  and  was  awakened  by  a  terrifying 
dream.  He  thought  he  saw  little  Katie  dripping 
with  water,  and  the  little  boy  next  older  than  Katie 
was  immersed  in  the  water,  and  that  he  was  able  to 
save  him  only  by  taking  hold  of  his  ears.  When  he 
pulled  him  out,  he  was  covered  with  spots  like  a 
leopard.  Mr.  Wasson  says  that  as  he  awoke  he  was 
covered  with  cold  sweat,  and  in  an  agony  of  mind. 
This  is  a  very  strange  coincidence,  and  the  dream 
corresponds  with  the  occurrence,  save  that  the  little 
boy  was  not  in  danger.  It  was  the  little  girl  who 
was  spotted  from  the  chill.” 

It  resembles  a  wrongly  received  telegraphic  dis¬ 
patch,  in  which  one  word  is  substituted  for  an¬ 
other. 

Effect  of  Strong  Mental  Impression. — A  strong 

mental  impression  carried  into  sleep  is  conducive  to 
I  impressibility.  Inspector  Jewett,  of  the  Brooklyn 
Police,  was  so  worried  about  the  lost  pistol  of  John 
Kenny,  who  had  shot  a  car-driver,  as  he  wanted  the 
weapon  in  evidence  against  the  ruffian,  that  he 
dreamed  about  it.  He  saw  it  in  a  certain  saloon,  in 
a  certain  place,  and  the  next  morning  went  to  the 
saloon  and  found  the  pistol  exactly  where  he  saAv  it 
in  his  dream. 

The  rescue  of  the  crew  of  the  “  Spai'kenhoe,”  No¬ 
vember  30,  1875,  by  Capt.  Adam  S.  Smalley,  as  told  by 
him,  is  a  fine  illustration  of  impressibility  in  sleep. 
He  sailed  from  Bordeaux  November  24,  1875,  in  the 
brigantine  “Fred  Eugene,”  bound  for  Key  West, 
and  soon  encountered  stormy  weather.  When  six 
hundred  miles  at  sea,  on  the  night  of  the  29th,  he 


EFFECT  OF  STRONG  MENTAL  IMPRESSION.  77 


suddenly  awoke  from  sleep,  deeply  impressed  with 
a  dream,  in  which  he  had  seen  a  number  of  men  in 
great  peril.  He  related  this  to  his  wife,  adding  that 
he  hoped  no  shipwrecked  crew  needed  his  assist¬ 
ance.  At  midnight,  he  again  retired,  and  again  the 
vision  was  repeated  with  more  distinctness,  and  the 
men  appearing  on  a  wreck  needing  the  utmost  dis¬ 
patch  to  rescue  them.  The  Captain  went  immedi¬ 
ately  on  deck,  and  without  any  assigned  reason, 
changed  the  course  of  the  ship  two  points,  and,  giv¬ 
ing  orders  to  be  called  at  daylight,  retired,  and  slept 
till  the  appointed  time. 

Going  on  deck  at  dawn,  and  sweeping  the  horizon 
with  his  glass,  he  discovered  a  ship  far  to  the  wind¬ 
ward,  with  a  signal  of  distress  displayed.  He  en¬ 
deavored  to  work  his  vessel  up,  but  with  short  sail 
and  heavy  sea,  most  of  the  forenoon  passed,  and  a 
long  distance  remained.  He  was  resolved  to  take  a 
long  tack,  and  not  change  his  course  until  prompted 
to  do  so  by  the  same  impulse  that  bade  him  do  so  the 
night  before.  More  sail  was  made,  although  pru¬ 
dence  forbade,  in  the  face  of  a  gale  at  any  moment 
threatening  to  break,  and  all  the  men  stood  at  their 
posts  for  over  an  hour,  awaiting  the  orders  for  tack¬ 
ing. 

At  last  the  prompting  came,  and  going  about,  the 
vessel  reached  a  point  two  miles  to  the  leeward  of 
the  distressed  ship,  where  her  three  boats,  contain¬ 
ing  twenty-three  men  in  all,  had  put  off  to  intercept 
the  brig.  They  were  taken  on  board,  the  boats  cut 
loose,  and  all  sail  taken  in  as  quickly  as  possible, 
and  in  ten  minutes  a  fierce  hurricane  lashed  the  sea 
to  foam.  The  gale  raged  four  days  with  unabated 
fury,  so  that,  had  they  not  been  rescued  at  the  very 
moment  they  were,  they  would  have  certainly  per¬ 
ished. 


78 


SENS  I TI VEN  ESS  DURING  SLEEP. 


We  have  two  explanations.  The  first  is  that  of 
thought  transference — the  reception  on  the  sensitive 
brain  of  Captain  Smalley  of  the  intense  thoughts  of 
the  perishing  crew.  As  the  inductive  plate  sends  its 
influence  across  miles  of  space,  we  may  suppose  that 
the  vibrations  from  them  would  go  out  across  the 
wide  sea  interval,  and,  finding  a  receiving  instru¬ 
ment,  be  converted  again  to  thought.  The  second 
explanation  is  that  of  the  interference  of  spiritual 
beings,  who  impress,  their  thoughts  on  the  mind  of 
the  Captain  in  the  same  manner.  The  prompting 
as  to  the  course  to  steer  is  beyond  and  outside  of  the 
dream,  and  proves  the  extreme  sensitiveness  of  the 
commander. 

A  Dream  Saves  a  Shipwrecked  Crew.— Of  pre¬ 
cisely  similar  character  is  the  impression  received 
by  Capt.  G.  A.  Johnson  of  the  schooner  ‘‘Augusta 
H.  Johnson.”  He  sailed  from  Quero  for  home,  en¬ 
countering  a  terrible  hurricane.  On  the  second  day, 
he  saw  a  disabled  brig,  and  near  by  a  barque.  He 
was  anxious  to  reach  home,  and  thinking  the  barque 
would  assist  the  brig,  continued  on. 

But  the  impression  came  that  he  must  turn  back 
and  board  the  brig.  He  could  not  shake  it  off,  and 
at  last  he,  with  four  men,  boarded  the  brig  in  the 
dory.  He  found  her  deserted,  and  made  sail  on  her. 
After  a  time  they  saw  an  object  ahead,  appearing 
like  a  man  on  a  cake  of  ice.  The  dory  was  again 
manned,  and  sent  to  the  rescue.  It  proved  to  be  the 
mate  of  the  bark  “Leawood,”  clinging  to  the  bottom 
of  an  overturned  boat,  which,  being  white,  appeared 
in  the  distance  as  ice.  This  premonition  came  with¬ 
out  seeking,  and  in  direct  opposition  to  the  desire 
of  Captain  Johnson,  desiring  to  escape  from  the 
storm,  and  reach  home  without  delay. 


A  LIFE  SAVED. 


79 


A  Lite  Saved. — The  Biddleford  (Me.)  Journal  thus 
relates  the  story  of  the  narrow  escape  of  a  sailor  : 

“ Last  week  the  schooner  “Ida  May”  lay  at  Gov¬ 
ernment  Wharf,  near  the  mouth  of  Kinnebunk 
River,  with  one  man  on  board,  Freeman  Grove, 
who  was  in  the  cabin  asleep.  In  the  night  he  was 
awakened  by  some  one  touching  him  and  saying, 
‘You  will  be  drowned.’  On  opening  his  eyes,  no 
one  was  present,  but  he  immediately  went  on  deck, 
and  found  the  side  of  the  vessel  caught  under  the 
wharf  by  the  tide,  and  shortly  it  would  have  sunk, 
and  cabin  and  all  been  under  water.  With  a  plank 
he  pried  the  side  from  the  wharf,  and  she  came  up 
with  the  tide.  The  sleeper,  being  in  the  cabin,  must 
have  been  drowned  had  he  not  been  awakened  by 
the  voice.” 

Perhaps  no  greater  disaster  was  ever  accom¬ 
panied  by  a  greater  number  of  special  premonitions 
and  warnings  of  coming  danger  than  the  “Ash¬ 
tabula  horror,”  where  a  train  crowded  with  passen¬ 
gers  plunged  into  a  gulf  in  a  fearful  storm,  and,  tak¬ 
ing  fire,  was  burned.  The  Times  published  a  list  of 
the  names  of  those  saved  by  “  presentiments.”  One, 
in  particular,  is  related  at  length,  and  is  thoroughly 
vouched  for.  A  young  lady,  by  the  name  of  Hazen, 
having  with  her  a  colored  servant,  started  from  Bal¬ 
timore  for  Pittsburg,  where  she  was  to  be  married. 
She  had  purchased  tickets  at  Buffalo  for  the  ill-fated 
train.  During  the  night  previous,  “  Aunt  Chloe,” 
the  colored  slave,  had  a  dream,  which  so  impressed 
her  that  when  they  reached  the  depot  she  positively 
refused  to  go  on  that  train.  “Auntie”  had  been  as 
a  mother  to  Miss  Hazen,  who  lost  her  mother  in  in¬ 
fancy.  The  young  lady,  perhaps  somewhat  a  be¬ 
liever  in  the  superstitions  of  the  slaves,  humored 
Auntie’s  mood,  and  deferred  going  until  the  next 


80 


SENSITIVENESS  DURING  SLEEP. 


train — in  all  probability  thereby  saving  the  lives  of 
both . 

Clairvoyant  Dream-State.— The  Oakland  (Cal.) 
Tribune  records  a  pleasing  story,  which  fully  illus¬ 
trates  what  may  be  called  a  permanent  dream-sen¬ 
sitiveness  identical  with  clairvoyance:  “Twenty 
years  ago,  a  bachelor  in  Oakland  dreamed  of  visiting 
a  family  consisting  of  parents  and  two  little  girls, 
who  were  unknown  to  him  in  his  waking  hours. 
From  that  time  forth,  he  continued  to  dream  of 
them  for  a  score  of  years.  He  saw  the  children 
grow  from  childhood  to  womanhood.  He  was 
at  the  closing  exercises  when  they  graduated.  In 
fact,  he  shared  all  the  pleasures  and  griefs  of  the 
family.  His  friendship  to  his  dreamland  friends 
seemed  so  real,  he  often  remarked  that  he  felt  cer¬ 
tain  he  would  know  them  in  reality  at  some  future 
time. 

“Two  months  ago,  in  a  dream,  he  saw  the  husband 
die,  and  from  that  time  he  ceased  to  dream  of  them  in 
a  period  of  twenty  years.  He  received  a  letter  from 
New  York  City,  the  writer  being  the  widow  of  a 
cousin  of  his,  with  whom  he  had  had  no  intercourse 
since  his  boyhood — over  thirty  years.  She  wrote 
that  she  wished  to  make  San  Francisco  her  future 
home,  and  it  was  arranged  for  him  to  meet  her  and 
her  two  daughters  at  the  wharf  at  Oakland.  On 
their  arrival,  imagine  his  surprise  to  see  his  dream 
friends.  They  were  equally  so  when  he  related  to 
them  the  dreams  in  which  they  had  figured.  He 
told  them  incidents  connected  with  their  past  lives 
which  he  could  not  have  known  under  ordinary 
circumstances.  He  described  their  former  home, 
even  to  the  furniture  and  household  ornaments,  and 
was  correct  in  every  particular.  The  sequel  is  that 


ALLEGORICAL  DREAMS. 


81 


he  married  the  lady,  and  they  are  living  happily  in 
this  city.” 

Allegorical  Dreams.  — When  important  intelli¬ 
gence  comes  in  allegorical  form,  it  is  difficult  to 
give  adequate  explanation,  without  calling  to  our 
aid  an  outside  intelligence.  The  London  News  has 
the  following : 

“Most  people  remember  the  terrible  railway  acci¬ 
dent,  in  which  Dickens  himself  and  his  proof-sheets 
escaped,  while  so  many  perished.  In  the  train  there 
chanced  to  be  a  gentleman  and  lady  just  returned 
from  India.  The  lady  said  to  her  husband,  ‘  I  see 
the  great  wave  rolling  on  ;  it  is  close  to  us,’  and  then 
the  crash  came,  and  she  was  a  corpse.  The  husband 
was  unhurt,  and  at  a  later  time  explained  his  wife’s 
strange  words.  Ever  since  they  had  set  sail  from 
India,  she  had  been  haunted  in  sleep  by  a  dream  of 
a  vast  silvery  wave,  and  always,  just  as  it  was  about 
to  break  on  her,  she  had  awakened  in  terror.” 

Less  tragic,  but  quite  odd  enough  for  Mr.  Pr(*c- 
tor's  collection,  is  the  anecdote  of  the  south-country 
farmer’s  dream.  The  good  man  awakened  from  his 
first  sleep,  and  aroused  his  wife  to  tell  her  about  a 
startling  vision.  He  had  dreamed  that  he  saw  a 
favorite  cow  drowning  in  a  pond  in  a  neighboring 
common.  “There  ain’t  no  pond  there;”  said  the 
wife,  with  natural  irritation  and  double-shotted  neg¬ 
atives.  This  was  undeniably  true,  but  the  farmer 
was  uneasy.  At  last  he  arose,  dressed,  and  walked 
up  the  long  lane  which  led  to  the  common.  Every¬ 
thing  was  quiet,  but  just  at  the  top  of  the  lane  the 
farmer  heard  a  sound  as  of  a  man  digging.  Then 
a  light  caught  his  eye.  It  glimmered  through  a 
hedge  that  divided  the  lane  from  the  fields.  The 
farmer  cautiously  drew  near,  till  he  was  just  above 


82 


SENSITIVENESS  DURING  SLEEP. 


the  ditch  There  he  spied  a  country  fellow,  with  a 
lantern,  digging  a  long,  straight,  deep  hole  in  the 
ground.  An  ax  lay  beside  the  hole.  At  this  point 
the  farmer  slipped,  the  hedge  rustled,  and  the  delver 
fled  away.  The  farmer  secured  the  lantern  and 
made  for  home.  Just  at  the  entrance  of  the  lane, 
the  time  being  about  two  in  the  morning,  he  met 
one  of  his  servant  wenches  hurrying  in  the  direction 
whence  he  had  come.  “  What  do  you  want,  my 
lass  ?  No  good,  I  fear,”  said  the  agricultural  moral¬ 
ist  ;  and,  in  short,  he  made  the  girl  tell  him  her 
story.  She  was  going  to  an  assignation  with  her 
“young  man,”  who  had  jilted  her,  and  was  courting 
another  girl.  She  had  threatened  him  with  an 
action  for  breach  of  promise  of  marriage,  and  the 
swain  had  promised  that,  if  she  would  but  meet 
him  at  two  in  the  morning,  at  the  bend  of  the  lane, 
he  would  satisfy  her,  and  remove  all  jealousy  and 
differences. 

“Very  well,  my  lass,”  said  the  farmer,  “come, 
and  I'll  show  you  what  he  had  to  give  you.”  He 
led  the  way,  and  revealed  to  the  horrified  girl  the 
long,  deep,  narrow  hole  and  sharp  ax  which  had 
awaited  her.  Naturally,  she  did  not  any  longer 
pursue  her  lover;  and  here  is  a  dream  which  even 
Mr.  Proctor  will  admit  not  to  have  been  purposeless. 
Indeed,  the  “machinery”  of  the  drowning  cow 
made  the  vision  appeal  directly  to  the  bucolic  mind. 

Of  the  same  prophetic  character  is  the  following 
well-authenticated  dream  : 

Mrs.  Jacob  Condon,  living  a  few  miles  from  Reed, 
Pa.,  dreamed  a  few  nights  ago  that  her  year-old 
baby  was  burned  to  death,  and  that  she  sent  word 
of  the  casualty  to  her  husband,  who  was  working 
at  a  distance  from  home,  by  James  Portlewaith,  a 
neighbor.  The  next  morning  she  told  her  husband 


MRS.  HO  WITT'S  EXPERIENCE. 


83 


of  her  dream,  and  admitted  that  it  made  her 
despondent.  He  laughed  at  her  fears,  and  went 
away  to  his  work.  Late  in  the  forenoon,  Mrs.  Con¬ 
don  left  her  kitchen  to  go  to  the  wood-shed,  a  few 
steps  away.  While  she  was  there  she  heard  her  baby 
screaming.  She  ran  into  the  house  and  found  the 
child  lying  in  front  of  an  open  grate,  wrapped  in 
flames.  See  threw  an  old  coat  about  the  child,  and 
smothered  the  flames,  but  it  was  so  badly  burned  that 
it  died  in  a  few  minutes.  Mrs.  Condon  went  to  the 
door  to  call  for  assistance.  As  she  reached  the  door, 
James  Portlewaith  was  passing  the  gate.  She  sent 
him  to  her  husband  with  the  dreadful  news,  thus  ful¬ 
filling  her  terrible  dream  to  the  letter. 

Mrs.  Howitt,  whose  veracity  no  one  can  dispute, 
gives  the  following  experience  in  the  Psychological 
Review ,  London,  which  may  be  taken  as  an  illus¬ 
tration  of  thought  transference,  or  as  the  interpo¬ 
sition  of  a  supreme  intelligence  : 

“  I  dreamed  that  I  received  a  letter  from  my  eldest 
son.  In  my  dream  I  eagerly  broke  open  the  seal, 
and  saw  a  closely-written  sheet  of  paper,  but  my  eye 
caught  only  these  words  in  the  middle  of  the  first 
page,  written  larger  than  the  r-est  and  underlined, 
'My  father  is  very  ill.’  The  utmost  distress  seized 
me,  and  I  suddenly  awoke,  to  find  it  only  a  dream ; 
yet  the  painful  impression  of  reality  was  so  vivid, 
that  it  was  long  before  I  could  .compose  myself. 
The  first  thing  I  did  the  following  morning  was  to 
commence  a  letter  to  my  husband,  relating  this 
distressing  dream.  Six  days  afterwards,  on  the 
18th,  an  Australian  mail  came  in  and  brought  me 
a  letter,  the  only  letter  I  received  by  that  mail,  and 
not  from  any  of  my  own  family,  but  from  a  gentle¬ 
man  in  Australia  with  whom  we  were  acquainted. 
This  letter  was  addressed  on  the  outside.  "  Inime- 


84 


SENSITIVENESS  DURING  SLEEP. 


diate ,”  and  with  a  trembling  hand  I  opened  it ;  and 
true  enough,  the  first  words  I  saw — and  these  writ¬ 
ten  larger  than  the  rest,  in  the  middle  of  the  paper, 
and  underlined,  were  :  ‘  Mr.  Howitt  is  very  ill.’  The 
context  of  these  terrible  words  was,  however,  ‘  If 
you  hear  that  Mr.  Howitt  is  very  ill,  let  this  assure 
you  that  he  is  better ;  ’  hut  the  only  emphatic  words 
which  I  saw  in  my  dream,  and  these,  nevertheless, 
slightly  varying,  ,as,  from  some  cause  or  other,  all 
such  mental  impressions,  spirit  revelations,  or  occult, 
dark  sayings  generally  do  vary  from  the  truth  or 
type  which  they  seem  to  reflect.” 

Stainton  Moses,  M.  D.,  who  has  given  life-long 
attention  to  psychic  research,  remarks  on  the  appar¬ 
ent  discrepancy  between  the  words  of  the  dream, 
and  the  letter  as  follows  : 

“  It  may  be  permitted  to  the  writer  to  suggest,  that 
through  a  fuller  acquaintance  with,  and  deeper  ob¬ 
servation  of,  the  phenomena  of  ‘  spirit  revelation, 
occult,  dark  sayings  ’,  etc.,  the  truth  has  forced  it¬ 
self  upon  various  philosophic  minds,  that  in  obedi¬ 
ence  to  a  primal  law  of  spirit's  intercourse  with 
spirit— it  is  always  the  essence  or  spirit  of  an  idea  or 
fact  which  is  sought  to  be  conveyed  to  the  mind,  and 
not  the  mere  literal  clothing  of  that  idea  or  fact. 
This  essence  or  spirit  of  the  idea  is  the  grain  of 
true  wheat  alone  needed  ;  the  form  is  simply  the  husk 
that  clothes  it  for  a  temporary  purpose,  and  must  of 
necessity  fall  away  from  it  as  a  dead  thing.  ‘  In  this 
material,  matter-of-fact  age,  literal  truth,  ’  says  the 
Rev.  James  Smith,  ‘the  lowest  of  all  truths  in  one 
sense,  is  generally  regarded  as  the  highest.  But 
they  are  superficial  thinkers  who  dabble  only  in  liter¬ 
al  truth  or  physical  truth.  ’  This  is  a  knowledge  of 
Law  Spiritual,  without  which  progress  is  impossible 
for  the  student  of  psychology.” 


THE  IDEA ,  NOT  WORDS,  CONVEYED. 


85 


The  Idea,  not  Words,  Conveyed.— If  the  idea  was 
sent  through  the  psychic-ether,  as  a  wave  of  thought, 
it  would  translate  itself  into  language,  and  the 
language  of  the  receiving  mind  would  be  the  one 
into  which  it  would  be  translated.  It  would  pass 
through  space  as  the  essence  of  thought,  and  the 
sensitive  recipient  would  clothe  it  with  the  garments 
of  words. 

Wm.  Howitt,  on  his  visit  to  Australia,  had  a  dream 
which  he  regarded  as  having  great  importance  as  a 
fact  in  Mental  Science.  He  says  : 

“  Some  weeks  ago,  while  yet  at  sea,  I  had  a  dream 
of  being  at  my  brother's  at  Melbourne,  and  found  his 
house  on  a  hill  at  the  further  end  of  the  town,  next  to 
the  open  forest.  The  garden  sloped  a  little  way  down 
the  hill  to  some  brick  buildings  below ;  and  there 
were  greenhouses  on  the  right  hand  by  the  wall  as 
you  looked  down  the  hill  from  the  house.  As  I 
looked  out  the  windows  in  my  dream,  I  saw  a  wood 
of  dusky-foliaged  trees,  having  a  segregated  appear¬ 
ance  in  their  heads  ;  that  is,  their  heads  did  not  make 
that  dense  mass  like  our  woods.  ‘  There  !  ’  said  I, 
addressing  some  one  in  my  dream,  4 1  see  your  native 
forest  of  Eucalyptus  !  ’  This  dream  I  told  to  my  sons, 
and  to  two  of  our  fellow-passengers,  at  the  time,  and 
on  landing,  as  we  walked  over  the  meadows,  long  be¬ 
fore  we  reached  the  town,  I  saw  this  very  wood. 

‘  There  !  ’  I  exclaimed,  ‘is  the  very  wood  of  my  dream. 
We  shall  see  my  brother's  house  there.’  And  so  we 
did.  It  stood  exactly  as  I  saw  it,  only  looking  newer; 
but  there,  over  the  wall  of  the  garden,  is  the  wood 
exactly  as  I  saw  it  and  now  see  it,  as  I  sit  at  the  din¬ 
ing-room  window  writing.  When  I  look  upon  this 
scene  I  seem  to  look  into  my  dream.” 

This  mysterious  perception  of  scenes  and  events 
which,  after  perhaps  years,  come  before  the  dreamer 


8(5 


DREAMS. 


or  enter  into  Lis  life,  is  supported  by  ample  testimony. 

In  the  Spiritual  Magazine,  1871,  the  author,  speak¬ 
ing  of  this  dream,  gives  further  curious  details  : 

“  In  a  vision  at  sea,  some  thousand  miles  from  Mel¬ 
bourne,  I  not  only  clearly  saw  my  brother’s  home  and 
the  landscape  around  it,  but  also  saw  things  in  direct 
opposition  to  news  received  before  leaving  England. 
It  was  said  that  all  the  men  were  gone  to  the  gold¬ 
fields,  and  that  even  the  Governor  and  Chief -Justice 
had  no  men-servants  left.  But  I  now  saw  abundance 
of  men  in  the  streets  of  Melbourne,  and  many  sitting 
on  doorsteps  asking  employment.  .  .  .  When  in 

the  street  before  my  brother's  house,  we  saw  swarms 
of  men,  and  some  actually  sitting  on  steps,  seeking 
work.  All  was  so  exactly  as  I  had  described,  that 
great  was  the  astonishment  of  my  companions.  ” 

If  we  were  to  regard  sleep,  after  the  common  usage, 
as  a  simple  state,  dreams,  visions,  thought  transfer¬ 
ence,  and  the  appearance  of  a  person  while  living  at 
a  distance,  become  a  mass  of  irreconcilable  details. 
But  this  is  a  wholly  erroneous  view  of  the  character 
of  sleep.  It  is  one  of  the  most  complex  and  change¬ 
ful  conditions,  ranging  from  the  disturbed  doze  of  the 
overweary,  to  the  most  sensitive  clairvoyance.  It 
will  be  seen  that  many  of  the  so-called  dreams  are 
really  visions  received  in  a  more  sensitive  condition 
than  is  furnished  during  the  waking  hours. 


Dreams. 


Sensitiveness  During  Sleep. — There  are  dreams 
and  dreams.  When  greatly  fatigued,  mentally  or 
physically,  the  partially  awakened  faculties  often 


SENS  IT  I YEN  ESS  DURING  SLEEP. 


87 


become  impressed  with  strangely  distorted  thoughts. 
Then  there  are  the  terrible  dreams  from  indigestion, 
the  peculiar  interpretations  of  bodily  discomfort,  as 
dreams  of  frosts  and  snows,  when  chilled  during 
sleep,  or  of  burning  forests  when  over-heated. 
Galen  gives  examples  of  such  dreams  in  the  case  of 
a  man  who  dreamed  that  his  right  leg  was  turned  to 
stone,  and  soon  after  lost  the  use  of  it  by  palsy;  and 
another  patient  who  dreamed  that  he  was  in  a  vessel 
filled  with  blood,  which  the  physician  accepted  as  a 
sign  that  the  man  ought  to  be  bled,  by  which  a  serious 
disease  under  which  he  labored  was  cured. 

In  perfect  sleep  dreams  do  not  occur,  because  all 
the  mental  faculties  are  dormant.  The  conjecture 
that  the  mind  always  dreams,  but  fails  to  remember, 
is  not  true.  A  hearty  supper,  by  inducing  indiges¬ 
tion,  is  a  prolific  cause  of  bad  dreams. 

Derangement  of  the  perfect  corollation  of  the  men¬ 
tal  faculties,  in  sickness  or  the  weakness  of  age,  is  a 
frequent  cause  of  the  wildest  and  most  incoherent 
visions.  All  these  causes  may  be  well  considered, 
and  after  their  influences  have  been  eliminated, 
there  remains  an  order  distinct  and  inexplicable  by 
known  causes.  The  dreamer  may  not  be  sensitive 
to  psychic  influences  while  awake,  but  during  sleep 
may  become  exceedingly  so.  Night  favors  sensitive¬ 
ness  because  of  its  negative  influence.  All  nervous 
diseases  are  aggravated  by  the  coming  of  twilight, 
and  midnight  is  the  hour  when  the  most  perfect  nega¬ 
tiveness  is  reached,  as  high  noon  is  that  of  extreme 
positiveness. 

It  would  be  an  easy  task  to  fill  volumes  with 
dreams  that  have  been  received  as  premonitions  of 
future  events,  or  forecasts  of  desired  information, 
which  was  otherwise  impossible  to  obtain.  I  do  not 
desire  to  crowd  these  pages  with  any  more  than  will 


88 


DREAMS. 


serve  to  illustrate  the  various  characters  of  the  true 
psychic  dream,  and  show  how  the  extra  sensitive¬ 
ness  acquired  in  sleep  explains  this  subject.  It  is 
misleading,  however,  to  employ  the  word  sleep  in 
this  connection,  for  in  sound  sleep  there  is  dreamless 
rest.  Sleep  is  the  repose  of  the  faculties,  and  im¬ 
pressions  are  not  recognized.  The  peculiar  condi¬ 
tion  in  which  these  dreams  occur,  is  mistaken  for 
sleep,  but  is  nearer  trance.  The  silence  of  the 
night  and  its  soothing  negative  quality,  enhances 
this  state,  and  impressions  are  borne  into  the  re¬ 
ceptive  mind  on  the  psycho-ether.  Dreams  that 
reach  into  the  future  and  foretell  events  concealed 
from  human  ken,  and  which  no  reasoning  or  fore¬ 
thought  can  predict,  are  of  interest  as  revealing 
glimpses  of  a  new  field  of  thought — that  of  pro¬ 
phecy. 

In  the  “Glimpses  of  the  Supernatural,”  is  a  dream 
related  by  a  dignitary  of  the  Church  of  England: 

“My  brother  had  left  London  for  the  country  to 
preach  for  a  certain  society  to  which  he  was  offici¬ 
ally  attached.  He  was  in  usual  health,  and  1  there¬ 
fore  had  no  cause  to  feel  anxiety  about  him.  One 
night  my  wife  awoke  me,  finding  that  I  was  sobbing 
in  my  sleep,  and  asked  me  the  cause.  I  said,  ‘I 
have  been  to  a  small  village,  and  I  went  up  to  the 
door  of  the  inn.  A  stout  woman  came  to  the  door. 
I  said  to  her:  ‘Is  my  brother  here?’  She  said, 
‘No,  sir:  he  is  gone.’  ‘Is  his  wife  here?’  I  in¬ 
quired.  ‘  No,  sir;  but  his  widow  is.’  Then  the  dis¬ 
tressing  thought  came  to  me  that  my  brother  was 
dead.  A  few  days  after,  I  was  suddenly  summoned 
into  the  country.  My  brother  had  been  attacked  by 
a  fatal  illness,  at  Caxton.  The  following  day  his 
wife  was  summoned,  and  the  next  day,  while  they 
were  seated  together,  she  heard  a  sigh  and  he  was 


DEAN  STANLEY'S  STORY. 


89 


gone.  When  I  reached  Caxton,  it  was  the  very  vil¬ 
lage  I  had  visited  in  my  dream.  I  went  to  the  same 
house,  was  let  in  by  the  same  woman,  and  found  my 
brother  dead  and  his  widow  there.” 

The  story  told  by  Dean  Stanley  lias  been  widely 
circulated.  The  chiefs  of  the  Campbells,  of  Inver- 
awe,  gave  an  entertainment.  After  the  party  broke 
up,  one  of  the  guests  returned,  claiming  protection, 
which  Campbell  pledged  himself  to  give.  It  after¬ 
wards  appeared,  in  a  brawl,  he  had  killed  Donald, 
the  cousin  of  Campbell,  and  notwithstanding  his 
pledge,  he  ordered  him  away.  The  murderer  ap¬ 
pealed  to  the  word  of  his  host,  and  was  allowed  to 
stay  for  the  night,  where  Campbell  slept.  The 
blood-stained  Donald  appeared  to  him  saying:  “In- 
verawe,  Inverawe,  blood  has  been  shed;  shield  not 
the  murderer.”  Having  sent  the  guilty  man  away, 
the  last  time  the  vision  came,  saying:  “Inverawe, 
Inverawe,  blood  has  been  shed.  We  shall  not  meet 
again  until  we  meet  at  Ticonderoga.” 

In  1758,  there  was  a  war  between  France  and  Eng¬ 
land,  and  Campbell,  belonging  to  the  Forty-second 
Highlanders,  wrent  to  America.  On  the  eve  of  the 
engagement  the  general  said  to  the  officers,  who 
knew  of  what  they  regarded  as  Campbell's  supersti¬ 
tion,  that  it  was  best  not  to  tell  him  the  name  of  the 
fortress  they  were  to  attack  on  the  morrow,  but  call 
,it  Fort  George.  The  fort  was  assaulted  in  the  morn¬ 
ing  and  Campbell  mortally  wounded.  His  last 
words  were:  “General,  you  have  deceived  me.  I 
have  seen  him  again.  This  is  Ticonderoga.” 

Vouched  for  as  this  occurrence  is  by  the  highest 
authority,  it  is  of  great  significance,  not  only  as  a 
dream,  but  it  shows  that  death  brought  about  a  sen¬ 
sitive  condition  like  that  in  which  the  dream  was 
received,  and  enabled  Donald  to  again  appear. 


90 


DREAMS. 


Among  the  news  items  of  the  San  Francisco 
Chronicle,  appeared  the  following : 

“Yesterday  morning  W.  S.  Read,  of  Oakland, 
with  a  companion  named  Stein,  started  out  from 
Long  Wharf  to  reach  a  yacht  upon  which  they  were 
going  on  a  fishing  excursion.  When  about  two  hun¬ 
dred  yards  from  the  wharf  the  boat  was  capsized 
and  Read  was  drowned.  He  started  to  swim  to  the 
wharf,  but  when  within  fifty  feet  of  it  he  sank  and 
did  not  rise  again.  Connected  with  this  sad  event  is 
a  dream :  Last  F riday  night  the  sister  of  the  de¬ 
ceased  dreamed  that  her  brother  had  gone  out  in  a 
boat  on  Sunday,  that  the  boat  had  been  upset  and  he 
drowned.  So  vivid  was  the  impression  of  the  dream, 
that  on  Saturday  morning  she  went  to  her  brother’s 
office,  told  him  of  it,  and  implored  him  not  to  go  oat, 
but  he  laughed  at  her  fears  as  the  result  of  a  dis¬ 
ordered  mind.  ” 

Dr.  M.  L.  Holbrook  relates  the  following  instances 
of  dreams,  which  are  certainly  worth  recording : 

“  Over  twenty  years  ago  I  was  subject  to  attacks 
of  acute  bronchitis,  which  in  Spring  gave  me  great 
trouble.  On  one  occasion  I  was  so  exceedingly  ill 
I  felt  I  should  not  recover,  and  in  this  mood  I  fell 
to  sleep,  during  which,  in  a  dream,  or  what  appeared 
to  be  such,  my  sister,  who  had  died  when  I  was  a 
little  boy,  seemed  to  come  to  my  bedside  and  said : 
‘  Martin,  you  are  not  going  to  die ;  you  have  much 
important  work  yet  to  accomplish,  and  we  have 
come  to  cure  you.’  Then  what  I  can  only  describe 
as  a  shock  of  heavenly  electricity  struck  me  on  the 
head,  and  was  intensified  over  the  lungs,  where  it 
seemed  to  almost  burn  through  my  chest,  when  it 
passed  towards  my  feet  in  a  delightful  glow.  The 
shock  was  so  great  that  I  awoke,  free  from  the  dis¬ 
ease,  and  have  never  had  the  trouble  since.” 


DR.  BLACKBURN'S  EXPERIENCE. 


91 


“In  1867  I  was  alone  in  my  sleeping-room  in  New 
York,  and  dreamed  that  I  was  dying,  and  in  my 
struggles  awoke.  There  was  nothing  peculiar  in 
this  experience,  it  may  be  truthfully  said,  for  this 
sensation  is  quite  common  with  those  who  suffer 
with  nightmare.  The  singularity  of  the  case  was 
that  every  night  for  a  succession  of  nights  the  same 
thing  happened,  growing  more  and  more  intense, 
until  the  last  night  I  thought  I  could  not  escape,  and 
died.  After  it  was  over,  the  thought  came  to  me, 
‘  W ell,  it  is  not  so  bad  after  all ;  a  rather  pleasant 
experience  !  ’  At  this  moment  my  father-in-law,  who 
had  been  dead  several  months,  appeared  to  me.  He 
was  the  same  as  when  alive,  but  more  spiritual  and 
beautiful.  He  said  :  ‘  Martin,  I  have  been  endeavor¬ 
ing  to  show  myself  to  you  for  several  nights.  Now 
I  have  succeeded,  and  shall  trouble  you  no  more. 
That  was  the  last  of  my  disturbing  dreams.  My 
thoughts  were  not  upon  him.  I  have  never  been 
able  to  convince  myself  that  the  vision  was  not  ob¬ 
jective,  though  I  know  some  may  not  look  at  it  in 
the  same  light.” 

Dr.  A.  M.  Blackburn,  of  Cresco,  Iowa,  a  well-known 
physician  of  that  town,  dreamed  that  he  was  called 
to  visit  a  little  girl  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Ridge¬ 
way.  On  his  return  he  came  to  a  broad  river  which 
it  was  impossible  to  cross.  While  waiting  on  the 
banks,  an  old  friend,  long  since  dead,  appeared  and 
assisted  him  in  crossing.  When  the  doctor  arose  in 
the  morning  he  related  his  dream,  and  so  strongly 
was  he  impressed  with  its  prophetic  meaning  that 
he  secured  a  policy  on  his  life,  talked  over  and 
arranged  his  business,  and  having  adjusted  all  his 
affairs,  he  awaited  the  fatality  he  said  was  sure 
to  overtake  him.  A  day  or  two  after,  he  was  called 
to  Ridgeway  to  visit  a  little  girl,  and  on  his  return 


92 


DREAMS. 


his  horse  ran  away  and  he  was  killed.  There  is  an 
allegorical  element  in  this  dream,  and  the  presence 
of  a  departed  friend  who  assists  him  over  the  stream, 
gives  it  a  poetic  cast.  Yet  who  can  say  that  it  was 
not  realized  ? 

A  dream  is  related  by  J.  Crysler,  of  Republic  City, 
Kansas,  which  proved  not  only  true,  but  the  ele¬ 
ments  of  “the  double,”  or  of  the  appearance  of  the 
dreamer  in  the  place  he  dreamed  about,  is  intro¬ 
duced.  He  said,  while  from  home  he  dreamed  that 
his  wife  was  sick,  and  awoke.  On  falling  asleep 
again,  the  dream  was  repeated,  a  thing  that  had 
never  before  occurred  to  him.  He  remarked  to  a 
friend  in  the  morning,  that  if  he  believed  in  dreams 
he  would  go  directly  home,  as  he  felt  troubled.  He, 
however,  waited  and  completed  his  business,  reach¬ 
ing  home  the  next  day,  when  he  found  his  wife  just 
recovering  from  a  severe  attack  of  illness.  Their 
three-year- old  boy  lodged  with  his  mother,  and  be¬ 
came  restless.  All  at  once  he  asked :  “  Ma,  what 
man  is  that  standing  there  ?  ”  “  Why,”  she  replied, 
“I  see  no  one.”  “Oh!”  saia  he,  “it  is  pa!”  and 
turning  over,  contentedly  dropped  to  sleep.  The 
thoughts  of  the  father,  intensified  by  his  solicitude, 
struck  the  sensitive  brain  of  his  child  with  such  a 
force  as  to  produce  the  impression  that  the  father 
was  an  objective  reality. 

A  prophetic  dream  must  be  impressed  on  the  re¬ 
ceiving  mind,  from  a  source  having  more  than  hu¬ 
man  intelligence.  There  must  be  a  mind  back  of 
the  impressions,  capable  of  comprehending  cause 
and  effect  more  clearly  than  mortals  are  able  to  do. 
The  effect  cannot  rise  above  its  cause. 

Laugh  at  the  fantacies  of  a  fevered  brain,  or  the 
visions  produced  by  a  gorged  stomach;  the  night¬ 
mare  of  the  gourmand  ;  the  ghost-seeing  of  the  dys- 


SENSITIVENESS  INDUCED  BY  DISEASE. 


93 


peptic;  but  there  remain  the  dreams  of  the  clear 
head  and  pure  heart  as  angel  visitants,  and  these 
should  be  treasured.  When  we  rest  in  the  arms  of 
sleep,  she  hushes  us  with  hymns  sung  by  angelic 
voices,  and  sweet  visions  of  the  morning  land. 


Sensitiveness  Induced  by  Disease. 


Disease,  by  weakening  the  physical  powers,  is 
often  conducive  to  a  wonderful  sensitiveness.  In 
some  cases  of  fever,  the  senses  are  wrought  to  an 
astonishing  acuteness,  especially  hearing,  the  patient 
being  disturbed  by  even  the  ticking  of  a  watch 
in  a  remote  room.  The  inner  perception  at  other 
times  is  made  equally  acute.  If  the  pulsations  of 
sound  become  so  magnified  and  painful,  the  waves 
of  thought  in  the  psycho-ether  may  become  equally 
magnified,  and  reproduce  the  thoughts  which  sent 
them  forth  to  the  mind  of  the  recipient.  Many  of 
the  facts  given  in  illustration  of  other  phases  of 
sensitiveness  apply  equally  well  here. 

“  Mademoiselle  N -  was  convalescing  after  a 

very  prolonged  illness,  which  had  reduced  her  to  a 
state  of  extreme  weakness.  All  her  family  had  gone 
to  church,  when  a  violent  storm  arose.  Mademoiselle 

N - went  to  the  window  to  watch  its  effects;  the 

thought  of  her  father  suddenly  struck  her,  and,  under 
existing  circumstances,  she  felt  much  uneasiness. 
Her  imagination  soon  persuaded  her  that  her  father 
had  perished.  In  order  to  conquer  her  fears  she 
went  into  a  room  in  which  she  was  accustomed  to 


lJ4  sensitiveness  induced  by  disease. 

see  him  in  his  arm-chair.  On  entering,  she  was  very 
much  surprised  at  seeing  him  in  his  place,  and 
in  his  accustomed  attitude.  She  immediately  ap¬ 
proached  to  inquire  how  he  had  come  in,  and  in 
addressing  him,  attempted  to  place  her  hand  on  his 
shoulder,  but  encountered  only  space.  Very  much 
alarmed,  she  drew  back,  and  turning  her  head  as 
she  left  the  room,  still  saw  him  in  the  same  attitude. 
More  than  half  an  hour  elapsed  from  the  time  she  first 
saw  the  apparition.  During  this  time  Mademoiselle 
N — ,  who  was  convinced  that  it  was  an  illusion, 
entered  the  room  several  times,  and  carefully  exam¬ 
ined  the  arrangement  of  the  objects,  and  especially 
of  the  chair.”  (De  Boismont,  page  27G.) 

Nothing  had  occurred  to  her  father,  and  the  ap¬ 
pearance  may  he  adequately  accounted  for  on  psy¬ 
chometric  grounds.  The  chair  was  vibrant  with  the 
influence  of  the  father,  and  these  vibrations  con¬ 
stantly  carried  out  with  them  his  imgge. 

Mrs.  Denton,  an  extremely  sensitive  person,  re¬ 
lates  an  experience  which  shows  how  exactly  simi¬ 
lar  the  impressibility  which  may  he  called  normal  in 
contradistinction  to  that  induced  by  disease.  On 
entering  a  car  from  which  the  passengers  had  gone 
to  dinner,  she  was  surprised  to  see  the  seats  occupied. 

‘‘Many  of  them  were  sitting  perfectly  composed, 
as  if,  for  them,  very  little  interest  was  attached  to 
this  station,  while  others  were  already  in  motion 
(a  kind  of  compressed  motion),  as  if  preparing  to 
leave.  I  thought  this  somewhat  strange,  and  was 
about  turning  to  find  a  seat  in  another  car,  when 
a  second  glance  around  showed  me  that  the  passen¬ 
gers,  who  had  appeared  so  indifferent  were  really 
losing  their  identity,  and,  in  a  moment,  were  invis¬ 
ible  to  me.  I  had  had  time  to  note  the  personal 
appearance  of  several ;  and  taking  a  seat  I  awaited 


BISHOP  BOWMAN'S  SERMON. 


95 


the  return  of  the  passengers,  thinking  it  more  than 
probable  I  might  in  them  find  the  prototypes  of  the 
faces  and  forms  I  had  a  moment  before  so  singu¬ 
larly  beheld.  Nor  was  I  disappointed.  A  number 
of  those  who  returned  to  the  cars  I  recognized  as 
being,  in  every  particular,  the  counterparts  of  their 
late  but  transient  representatives.” 

Mary  Dana  Shindler,  in  the  Voice  of  Truth ,‘  says: 

“An  aunt  of  ours  was  very  ill  with  fever,  and 
her  only  brother,  commanding  a  packet  ship  between 
Havana  and  Charleston,  was  daily  expected;  but 
we  feared  he  would  arrive  too  late  to  see  his  sister 
in  earth-life.  One  morning  while  we  were  watching 
at  her  bedside,  she  suddenly  sat  up,  clapped  her 
hands,  and  exclaimed  joyfully,  ‘  Brother  William 
has  come!’  We  all  thought  her  mind  wandering; 
but  in  about  ten  minutes  he  arrived  at  her  house, 
and  from  that  moment  she  began  to  recover.  She 
could  not  tell  us  how  she  discovered  that  he  had  ar¬ 
rived,  but  only  said,  ‘  I  knew  it ;  I  heard,  and  felt 
him.’  ” 

Bishop  Bowman,  in  a  sermon  delivered  in  Phila¬ 
delphia,  narrated  a  remarkable  experience,  which 
shows  how  near  the  state  of  death  approaches  trance 
or  clairvoyance.  The  usual  light  treatment  of  the 
fact  of  the  result  of  cerebral  disturbance  is  far  from 
a  satisfactory  solution : 

“On  my  return  from  Japan,  I  preached  in  Califor¬ 
nia,  and  probably  overworked  myself.  The  last  Sun-  > 
day  in  February,  after  holding  divine  service  in  my 
St.  Louis  Church,  I  returned  home,  when  I  was 
immediately  taken  sick  with  a  lingering  fever,  which 
the  physicians  predicted  would  end  fatally.  At  this 
point  I  seemed  to  fall  into  a  kind  of  ecstasy,  and  I 
did  not  know  whether  I  was  alive  or  dead.  I  imag¬ 
ined  I  was  on  board  a  magnificent  ship,  and  heard 


96  SENSITIVENESS  INDUCED  BY  DISEASE. 

the  captain  say,  'Stop  her,’  which  I  thought  to  be  the 
voice  of  my  Divine  Master,  when  my  young  eight- 
een-months-old  child,  who  had  died  twenty  years  ago, 
came  to  me  and  said  that  she  had  heard  that  I  was 
coming,  and  had  come  to  meet  me.  After  some  con¬ 
versation  which  I  do  not  recollect,  she  said,  ‘  Do  you 
think  I  have  grown,  papa'  ?’  She  then  arose  in  a  form 
of  glory  I  have  never  before  witnessed,  and  never 
again  expect  to  see  until  I  die,  and  then  returned  to 
her  usual  state,  saying  that  she  came  in  that  shape  to 
see  if  I  would  know  her.  She  said  that  many  other 
friends  had  inquired  after  me,  and  that  an  old  gen- 
tlemanand  lady  had  taken  her  up  and  kissed  her,  say¬ 
ing  that  her  papa  was  their  boy.  I  then  asked  her 
where  her  mama  was.  ‘  Oh,  she  is  away  doing  some¬ 
thing  for  the  Lord,  but  will  meet  us  on  our  arrival  at 
the  wharf/  It  was  a  season  of  great  preciousness  to 
me.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  come  back  from  the 
other  world  ;  and  although  it  is  peculiar  for  me  to 
say  I  was  dead,  it  seems  to  me  I  was  not  in  the 
body.” 

The  testimony  of  those  who  have  approached  near¬ 
est  to  death,  and  have  been  brought  back  to  life, 
favors,  if  not  proves,  that  at  that  great  crisis,  as 
the  senses  fail,  spiritual  sensitiveness  becomes  acute, 
and  the  perceptions  merge  into  a  universal  con¬ 
sciousness.  A  gentleman  while  swimming  failed  to 
sustain  himself,  and  before  assistance  could  reach 
him,  sank,  as  he  supposed,  to  rise  no  more. 

“  Then  he  saw,  as  if  in  a  wide  field,  the  acts  of 
his  own  being,  from  the  first  dawn  of  memory  until 
the  time  he  entered  the  water.  They  were  all 
grouped  and  ranged  in  the  order  of  the  succession 
of  their  happening,  and  he  read  the  whole  volume 
of  existence  at  a  glance :  nay,  its  incidents  and  en¬ 
tities  were  photographed  on  his  mind,  illumined  by 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


y: 


light,  the  panorama  of  the  battle  of  life  lay  before 
him.”  (“  Sleep,  Memory  and  Sensation,”  page  43.) 

Clairvoyance  has,  as  thus  appears,  a  retrospection, 
and  is  as  able  to  see  the  past  as  the  present,  or  pre- 
vise  the  future.  The  element  of  time  does  not  ap¬ 
pear  to  enter  into  the  cognition  of  events  by  this  fac¬ 
ulty.  Everything  is  in  the  present,  and  the  past  is 
only  distinguished  by  order  of  sequence. 

A  gentleman  in  Iowa  related  to  me  his  experience 
while  insensible  from  the  effect  of  cold.  He  was 
overtaken  by  a  fearful  storm,  such  as  sometimes 
sweep  across  the  prairies,  and,  losing  his  way  after 
hours  of  vain  struggling,  sank  exhausted  in  a  drift  of 
snow.  The  past  events  of  his  life  came  in  a  panoramic 
show  before  him,  but  so  rapidly  moving,  that  from  boy¬ 
hood  until  that  moment  was  as  an  instant ;  then  came 
a  sense  of  perfect  physical  happiness,  and  he  began 
dimly  to  see  the  forms  of  those  whom  he  had 
known  while  living,  but  were  now  dead.  They  grew 
more  and  more  distinct,  but  just  as  they  came  near 
and  were,  as  he  thought,  overjoyed  to  receive  him, 
darkness  came  suddenly  and  great  pain  ;  the  vision 
faded,  and  he  became  conscious  of  the  presence  of 
his  friends  who  had  rescued  him,  and  were  applying 
every  measure  to  restore  him  to  life.  How  near  he 
had  reached  the  boundary  line,  the  “  dead  line”  beyond, 
from  which  there  is  no  return  to  the  body,  was  shown 
by  his  crippled  hands  and  feet. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  no  one  has  ever  recovered 
from  a  near  approach  to  this  line,  who  does  not  tell 
the  same  tale  of  an  exalted  perception  and  intensifi¬ 
cation  of  the  mental  faculties.  Sometimes  this  is  ex¬ 
hibited  by  the  recognition  of  an  event  then  trans¬ 
piring,  with  which  the  subject  is  intimately  connect¬ 
ed,  as  in  the  following,  wherein  the  deaths  of  near 
relatives  or  friends  are  discerned  : 


98  SENSITIVENESS  INDUCED  BY  DISEASE, 

It  is  a  historical  fact  that  Rev.  Joseph  Buckminster, 
who  died  in  Vermont,  in  1812,  just  before  his  death, 
announced  that  his  distinguished  son,  Rev.  J.  S. 
Buckminster,  was  dead. 

The  Eaton  (0.)  Telegraph  gives  the  following 
parallel  case :  “  On  Wednesday  morning  last,  at  four 
o’clock,  Gen.  John  Quince  breathed  his  last.  But  a 
few  minutes  after  that,  Joseph  Deem,  who  also  died 
on  the  14th,  aroused  from  his  sleep,  and  said  to  his 
son  John,  who  attended  him,  ‘Gen.  Quince  is  dead.’ 
To  this  John  replied,  ‘You  are  mistaken,  father, 
Gen.  Quince  is  well,  and  goes  by  after  his  mail  every 
day.’  ‘Yes,’  said  Father  Deem,  ‘Gen.  Quince  is 
dead.’  Shortly  after  a  neighbor  came  in,  and  said 
that  Gen.  Quince  had  suddenly  died.” 

Whenever  the  power  of  expression  is  retained,  we 
see  the  development  of  clairvoyance  at  the  approach 
of  death.  Sometimes  the  paralysis  of  the  muscles 
prevents  vocal  expression,  hut  where  this  is  the 
case,  the  eyes  show  the  ecstasy  which  the  lifting  of 
the  vail  from  a  new  world  only  can  give. 

Mrs.  Helen  Willmans  relates  this  touching  story  of 
the  death  of  her  child : 

“From  her  birth  she  had  been  afraid  of  death. 
Every  fiber  of  her  body  and  soul  recoiled  from  the 
thought  of  it. 

“  ‘  Don’t  let  me  die  !  ’  she  said.  ‘  Don’t  let  me  die  ! 
Hold  me  fast — I  can’t  go.’ 

“  ‘Jenny,’  I  said,  ‘you  have  two  little  brothers  in 
the  other  world,  and  there  are  thousands  of  tender¬ 
hearted  people  over  there,  who  will  love  and  take 
care  of  you. 

“‘But  she  cried  despairingly,  'Don't  let  me  go. 
They  are  strangers  over  there.’ 

“  But  even  as  she  was  pleading  her  little  hands  re¬ 
laxed  their  clinging  hold  from  my  waist,  and  lifted 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 


99 


themselves  eagerly  aloft ;  lifted  themselves  with 
such  a  straining  effort  that  they  raised  the  wasted 
body  from  its  reclining  position  among  the  pillows. 
Her  eyes  filled  with  the  light  of  divine  recognition. 
They  saw  plainly  something  we  could  not  see.  But 
even  at  that  supreme  moment  she  did  not  forget  to 
leave  a  word  of  comfort  for  those  who  gladly  would 
have  died  in  her  place.  £  Mamma  !  mamma !  they 
are  not  strangers.  I  am  not  afraid!’  And  every 
instant  the  light  burned  more  gloriously  in  her  blue 
eyes,  until  at  last  it  seemed  as  her  soul  leaped 
forth  upon  its  radiant  waves,  and  in  that  moment 
her  trembling  form  relapsed  among  the  pillows,  and 
she  was  gone.” 

Thus  we  perceive  that  sensitiveness,  which  is  first 
manifested  in  the  mesmeric  state,  breaks  in  at  rare  in¬ 
tervals,  during  wakefulness  or  sleep,  as  vivid  impres¬ 
sions  or  dreams,  arises  to  clairvoyance  as  the  spirit 
and  physical  body  are  separated  more  and  more,  and 
rea  ches  its  most  intense  expression  at  the  moment  of 
death,  when  the  union  between  the  two  is  severed. 

It  is  after  this  great  event  that  the  spiritual  being, 
formed  from  attenuated  substance,  far  beyond  the 
horizon  of  the  most  ethereal  known  to  the  senses, 
is  free  from  the  environments  of  the  physical 
body.  It  sees,  hears,  feels,  with  the  organization  of 
its  new  being,  and  is  cognizant  of  a  world  unknown 
to  the  mortal  senses. 


Thought  Transference. 


The  English  Society  for  Psychical  Research  have 
given  greater  attention  to  thought  transference  than 
any  other  subject  which  has  engaged  its  attention. 


100 


TH  U  UGHT  1  HA  NHFERENCE. 


claiming  that  if  it  be  proved,  it  becomes  the  foun¬ 
dation  for  a  working  theory,  co-ordinating  a  vast 
number  of  related  facts  and  phenomena.  It  was  the 
conclusion  of  the  committee  after  numerous  experi¬ 
ments,  that  thought  reading  was  an  established 
fact.  The  adage,  “The  devil  is  near  when  you 
talk  about  him,”  is  proven  daily  ;  for  when  an  indi¬ 
vidual  is  going  to  a  certain  place  expecting  to  meet 
certain  ones,  his  thoughts  go  before  him,  and  im¬ 
press  themselves.  When  those  connected  by  inti¬ 
mate  relations  think  of  each  other,  their  thoughts 
vibrate  in  responsive  brains.  Distance  has  inappre¬ 
ciable  influence  on  the  transference  of  thought.  It 
may  take  place  in  the  same  room,  or  when  the  two 
persons  are  thousands  of  miles  apart.  As  a  personal 
experience  I  will  relate  one  of  many  similar  inci¬ 
dents  which  have  awakened  my  attention  to  this 
wonderful  phenomenon.  Sitting  by  my  desk  one 
evening,  suddenly  as  a  flash  of  light,  the  thought 
came  to  write  an  article  for  the  Harbinger  of  Light, 
published  at  Melbourne,  Australia.  I  had  by  cor¬ 
respondence  become  acquainted  with  the  editor,  W. 
H.  Terry,  but  there  had  been  no  letters  passed  for 
nearly  a  year.  I  had  not  thought  of  him  or  his  jour¬ 
nal,  for  I  do  not  know  how  long  a  time,  and  I  was 
amused  at  first  with  the  idea  of  writing  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  suggested.  But  the  impression  was  so  strong 
that  I  prepared  and  forwarded  an  article.  Nearly 
two  months  passed  before  I  received  a  letter  from 
Mr.  Terry  requesting  me  to  write  an  article  on  the 
subject,  on  which  I  had  written,  and  making  due 
allowance  for  time,  the  dates  of  our  letters  were  the 
same.  In  our  experience  this  crossing  of  letters 
answering  each  other,  has  twice  occurred,  the  second 
by  Mr.  Terry  answering  a  request  of  mine. 

I  have  gathered  a  series  of  facts  illustrative  and 


DR.  NICOLAS'S  EXPERIENCE. 


101 


demonstrative,  by  their  culminative  evidence.  If 
any  one  statement  be  questioned  as  improbable,  we 
must  consider  the  probabilities  increase  with  each 
and  every  instance  corroboratory,  and  when  a  con¬ 
stantly  augmenting  series  continue  in  the  same  line, 
each  number  adding  strength  to  the  others,  the  pro¬ 
bability  becomes  a  certainty. 

Dr.  Nicolas,  Count  de  Gonemys,  of  Corfu,  gives 
his  personal  experience  in  March  number,  1885,  of 
the  Journal  of  the  Society  for  Psychical  Research  : 

“  In  the  year  1869  I  was  officer  of  health  in  the 
Hellenic  army.  By  command  of  the  War  Office  I  was 
attached  to  the  garrison  of  the  Island  of  Zante.  As 
I  was  approaching  the  Island  in  a  steamboat,  to  take 
up  my  new  position,  and  about  two  hours  distance 
from  the  shore,  I  heard  a  sudden  inward  voice  say 
to  me  over  and  over  in  Italian,  ‘  Go  to  Voterra.’  I 
had  no  association  with  the  name  of  M.  Voterra,  a 
gentleman  of  Zante,  with  whom  I  was  not  even  ac¬ 
quainted,  although  I  had  once  seen  him,  ten  years 
before.  I  tried  the  effect  of  stopping  my  ears,  and 
of  trying  to  distract  myself  by  conversation  with 
the  bystanders,  but  all  was  useless,  and  I  continued 
to  hear  the  voice  in  the  same  way.  At  last  we 
reached  the  land ;  I  proceeded  to  my  hotel  and 
busied  myself  with  my  trunks,  but  the  voice  con¬ 
tinued  to  harass  me.  After  a  time  a  servant  came 
and  announced  to  me  that  a  gentleman  was  at  the 
door  who  wished  to  speak  to  me  at  once.  *  Who  is 
the  gentleman?’  I  asked.  ‘  M.  Voterra,’  was  the 
reply.  M.  Voterra  entered,  weeping  violently,  in 
uncontrollable  distress,  imploring  me  to  follow  him 
at  once,  and  see  his  son  who  was  in  a  dangerous  con. 
dition.  I  found  a  young  man  in  maniacal  frenzy, 
naked  in  an  empty  room,  and  despaired  of  by  all  the 
doctors  of  Zante  for  the  past  five  years.” 


102 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 


By  magnetism  Dr.  Nicolas  effected  a  perfect  cure, 
the  maniac  becoming  in  the  mesmeric  state  clair¬ 
voyant. 

The  following  is  by  C.  Ede,  M.  D.,  Guilford  ( J .  S. 
P.  E.,  July,  1882). 

“  Lady  G.  and  her  sister  had  been  spending  the 
evening  with  their  mother,  who  was  in  her  usual 
health  and  spirits  when  they  left  her.  In  the  mid¬ 
dle  of  the  night  the  sister  awoke  in  a  fright,  and 
said  to  her  husband,  ‘  I  must  go  to  my  mother  at 
once;  do  order  the  carriage.  I  am  sure  she  is  ill.’ 
The  husband,  after  trying  in  vain  to  convince  his 
wife  that  it  was  only  a  fancy,  ordered  the  carriage. 
As  she  was  approaching  the  house  where  two  roads 
met,  she  saw  Lady  G.’s  carriage.  When  they  met 
each  asked  the  other  why  she  was  there.  The  same 
reply  was  made  by  both.  ‘  I  could  not  sleep,  feeling 
sure  my  mother  was  ill,  and  so  I  came  to  see.’  As 
they  came  in  sight  they  saw  their  mother’s  confi¬ 
dential  maid  at  the  door,  who  told  them  when  they 
arrived,  that  their  mother  had  been  taken  suddenly 
ill,  and  was  dying,  and  had  expressed  an  earnest 
wish  to  see  her  daughters.” 

The  daughters  having  so  recently  parted  from 
their  mother,  made  them  peculiarly  susceptible  to 
her  influence. 

T.  W.  Smith,  Ealing,  W.  England  {J.  S.  P.  E., 
July,  1882),  had  this  experience,  showing  the  close 
bonds  which  unite  husband  and  wife: 

“I  left  my  house,  ten  miles  from  London,  in  the 
morning  as  usual,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day  was 
on  the  way  to  Victoria  Street,  when,  in  attempting 
to  cross  the  road  made  slippery  by  the  water  cart,  I 
fell,  and  was  nearly  run  over  by  a  carriage  coming 
in  an  opposite  direction.  The  fall  and  the  fright 
shook  me  considerably,  but  beyond  that  I  was  un- 


A  CLERGYMAN'S  EXPERIMENT. 


103 


injured.  On  reaching  home,  I  found  my  wife  wait¬ 
ing  anxiously,  and  this  is  what  she  related  to  me: 
She  was  in  the  kitchen  when  she  suddenly  dropped, 
exclaiming,  ‘My  God,  he’s  hurt !’  Mrs.  S.  who  was 
near  her  heard  the  cry,  and  both  agreed  as  to  the 
time,  etc.” 

The  Rev.  P.  H.  Newham  ( J .  S.  P.  R.,  Feb.  1887),  re¬ 
lates  an  extended  series  of  experiments  in  will 
power.  He  was  able  while  in  church  to  draw  the  at¬ 
tention  of  any  one  in  the  audience  by  simply  direct¬ 
ing  his  thoughts  to  them.  He  experimented  at  a 
series  of  concerts,  selecting  those  in  front  of  him  so 
that  they  could  not  catch  his  eye  by  simply  raising 
their  heads.  “It  was  very  interesting,”  he  writes, 
“to  see  them  first  fidget  about  in  their  seats  and  at 
last  turn  their  heads  around  and  look  about  them, 
as  if  to  see  whence  the  uncomfortable  feeling  that 
influenced  them  proceeded.” 

The  London  Spectator  for  Christmas,  1881,  con¬ 
tains  an  interesting  story  by  A.  J.  Duffield,  of 
thought  transference.  The  gist  of  this  story*is  that 
a  Mr.  Strong  went  to  Lake  Superior  and  became 
foreman  of  the  Franklin  copper  mine.  He  fell  sick 
and  would  have  died  but  for  the  care  of  a  lady  whose 
husband  was  a  director  of  the  mining  company. 
She  had  him  carried  to  her  own  house,  and  nursed 
him  with  kindest  care  until  he  recovered.  Seven 
years  after  this  event,  when  he  had  drifted  away 
from  the  mines,  he  was  sitting  by  himself  one  even¬ 
ing,  when  he  suddenly  saw  this  kind  lady  in  a  room 
with  nothing  in  it,  no  fire,  no  food.  She  was  calm 
and  quiet,  with  the  same  face  she  had  when  she 
nursed  him  in  the  fever.  He  thereby  was  made 
deeply  conscious  that  she  was  in  distress,  and  sent 
her  a  most  liberal  amount  of  money  by  mail.  The 
day  after  he  received  a  letter  from  the  lady,  saying 


104 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 


that  her  husband  was  sick,  and  that  they  were  in 
great  suffering,  and  asking  for  aid. 

In  this  instance  the  mind  of  Capt.  Strong  was 
bound  to  his  preserver  with  strong  bonds,  love, 
gratefulness  and  expectation  of  some  time  repaying 
his  great  obligation.  It  was  in  proper  condition  for 
the  reception  of  such  thoughts,  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  under  the  pressure  of  suffering,  the  lady’s 
mind  was  in  a  condition  to  give  force  to  the  emanat¬ 
ing  thoughts. 

The  Springfield  Homestead  published  what  it  called 
an  odd  circumstance,  but  so  far  from  being  odd  is  of 
.  proverbially  common  occurrence.  A  Mrs.  A.  and 
her  daughter  called  on  their  relative,  Mrs.  B.,  of 
Central  Street.  On  their  way  thither  they  remarked 
how  pleased  they  would  be  if  Mrs.  B.’s  daughter, 
Mrs.  L.,  of  Hartford,  could  only  be  there  too.  This 
remark  was  repeated  to  Mrs.  B.,  and  she  replied  that 
her  thoughts  were  similar.  Then  one  of  them  re¬ 
called  the  old  saying  that  the  combined  thoughts  of 
three  ^omen  can  bring  any  one  from  any  place, 
and  the  reply  was  made  that  if  wishing  would  bring 
Mrs.  L.  she  would  surely  come.  Mrs.  B.  prepared 
strawberry  cake,  saying  her  daughter,  Mrs.  L.,  was 
fond  of  it,  and  that  she  was  going  to  lay  a  plate  for 
her  just  as  though  she  were  there.  As  they  were  sit¬ 
ting  down  to  tea,  the  door  bell  rang  and  in  came  the 
much  wished  for  Mrs.  L.,  greatly  to  their  surprise. 
When  asked  how  she  happened  to  come,  she  replied 
that  she  did  not  intend  to  do  so  until  that  day,  and 
decided  to  do  so  because  tormented  with  the  impres¬ 
sion  that  some  one  wanted  to  see  her.  She  is  not 
accustomed  to  come  to  Springfield,  not  having 
visited  her  sister  before  in  a  year. 

Henry  Watson,  of  Mill  Village,  Pa.,  was  suddenly 
impressed  that  his  services  were  needed  at  a  certain 


A  WONDERFUL  APPARITION. 


105 


point  o'n  French  Creek.  There  was  no  assignable 
cause *for  his  going,  and  he  resisted  it  as  a  vagary. 
The  impression,  however,  grew  so  strong  that  he 
yielded  as  to  a  charm.  When  within  a  short  dis¬ 
tance  of  the  spot  cries  for  help  reached  his  ears.  In 
the  creek  he  found  George  Dowler  and  wife  strug¬ 
gling  for  their  lives,  They  had  attempted  to  ford 
the  creek,  and  missing  the  way  were  submerged. 
He  was  holding  on  to  the  horse  while  the  swift  cur¬ 
rent  was  carrying  his  wife  to  her  death.  Taking  a 
boat,  Watson  rescued  her  from  certain  death.  Had 
he  not  arrived  at  that  very  moment,  she  would  have 
been  inevitably  drowned. 

L  M.  Hastings  of  Osceola,  Iowa,  had  a  son  mur¬ 
dered  near  Grand  Island,  Neb.  The  night  after  the 
crime  was  committed  he  awoke  about  midnight 
with  his  attention  fixed  on  an  apparition  at  the  foot 
of  the  bed.  He  saw  the  representation  of  two  men 
with  great  distinctness,  and  something  told  him  that 
they  were  the  pictures  of  the  murderers  of  his  son. 
He  studied  them  carefully  until  they  faded  out  of 
sight,  and  then  arose.and  wrote  a  description  which 
was  forwarded  to  the  prosecuting  attorney.  It  was 
found  to  be  a  thoroughly  accurate  description  of  the 
men  who  were  then  under  arrest  and  who  were,  with¬ 
out  doubt  the  guilty  parties.  Mr.  Hastings  had  never 
seen  these  men  nor  received  any  description  of  them. 

Transference  of  Thought  and  Pain.— Mrs.  Arthur 
Severn,  the  distinguished  landscape  painter  ( J .  S.  P. 
R.,  March,  1884),  writes  of  an  accident  to  her  hus¬ 
band  which  at  once  impressed  itself  on  her : 

“I  woke  witli  a  start,  feeling  I  had  a  hard  blow 
on  my  mouth,  and  a  distinct  sense  that  I  had  been 
cut  under  my  upper  lip,  and  held  my  handkerchief 
to  the  part  as  I  sat  up  in  bed,  and  after  a  few  sec- 


106 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 


onds,  when  I  removed  it,  I  was  astonished  not  to  see 
any  blood,  and  only  then  realized  that  it  was  impos¬ 
sible  that  anything  could  have  struck  me,  and  so  I 
thought  it  Avas  only  a  dream.  I  looked  at  my  watch 
and  saw  it  was  seven,  and  finding  Arthur  (my  hus¬ 
band)  was  not  in  the  room,  I  concluded  he  had  gone 
out  on  the  lake  for  a  sail  as  it  was  fine. 

“At  breakfast  (half-past  nine)  Arthur  came  in 
rather  late,  and  I  noticed  he  rather  purposely  sat 
farther  away  from  me  than  usual,  and  put  his  hand¬ 
kerchief  to  his  lip  in  the  way  I  had  done.  I  said: 
‘Arthur,  why  are  you  doing  that  ?  I  know  you  have 
hurt  yourself  ;  but  I'll  tell  you  why  afterwards.’  He 
said:  ‘Well,  when  I  was  sailing,  a  sudden  squall 
came,  throwing  the  tiller  suddenly  around,  and  it 
struck  me  a  hard  blow  in  the  mouth  under  the  up¬ 
per  lip  and  it  has  been  bleeding  a  good  deal  and 
won’t  stop.’  I  then  asked:  ‘At  what  time  did  it 
happen  ?’  He  answered:  ‘  It  must  have  been  about 
seven  o’clock.’  I  then  told  what  had  happened  to 
me,  much  to  his  surprise  and  all  who  were  at  the 
table.  ” 

Rev.  J.  M.  Wilson,  head  master  of  Clifton  College 
(in  J.  S.  P.  R.,  March,  1884),  presents  a  fact  which, 
while  admitting  of  telegraphic  explanation,  may  be 
referred  to  a  higher  source : 

“I  was  at  Cambridge  at  the  end  of  my  second 
term  in  full  health,  boating,  football  playing,  and 
the  like,  and  by  no  means  subject  to  hallucinations 
or  morbid  fancies.  One  evening  I  felt  very  ill,  trem¬ 
bling  with  no  apparent  cause  ;  nor  did  it  seem  to  me 
at  the  time  to  be  a  physical  illness,  or  chill  of  any 
kind.  I  was  frightened;  I  was  totally  unable  to 
overcome  it.  I  remember  a  struggle  with  myself, 
resolving  that  I  would  go  on  with  my  mathematics, 
but  it  was  in  vain.  I  became  convinced  that  I  was 


TRANSFERENCE  OF  SENSATION. 


lt)7 


dying.  I  went  down  to  the  room  of  a  friend,  who 
was  on  the  same  staircase.  He  exclaimed  at  me  be¬ 
fore  I  spoke.  He  pulled  out  a  whisky  bottle  and 
backgammon  board,  but  I  could  not  face  it.  We  sat 
over  the  fire,  and  he  brought  some  one  else  to  look 
at  me.  Toward  eleven,  after  some  three  hours,  I 
got  better,  went  to  bed  and  after  a  time  to  sleep,  and 
next  morning  was  quite  well.  In  the  afternoon 
came  a  letter  stating  that  my  twin  brother  had  died 
the  evening  before  in  Lincolnshire.” 

Rev.  Canon  Warburton,  Winchester,  England  (J. 
8.  P.  E.,  May  1884),  relates  the  following,  which  is 
of  interest  as  an  example  of  transference  of  thought 
and  of  sensation: 

“I  went  from  Oxford  to  stay  a  day  or  two  with 
my  brother,  then  a  barrister  at  10  Fish  Street,  Lin¬ 
coln’s  Inn.  When  I  reached  his  chambers  I  found  a 
note  on  the  table  apologizing  for  his  absence,  and 
saying  he  had  gone  to  a  dance,  and  intended  to  be 
at  home  soon  after  one  o’clock.  Instead  of  going  to 
bed,  I  dozed  in  an  arm-chair,  but  started  up  wide 
awake  exactly  at  one,  ejaculating.  ‘  By  Jove,  lie's 
down  !  ’  and  seeing  him  coming  out  of  the  drawing 
room  into  the  brightly  illuminated  landing,  catching 
his  foot  in  the  edge  of  the  top  stair  and  falling  head¬ 
long,  just  saving  himself  by  his  elbows  and  hands. 
(The  house  was  one  I  had  never  seen,  and  I  did  not 
know  where  he  was.)  I  again  fell  adoze  for  half 
an  hour,  and  was  awakened  by  my  brother  suddenly 
coming  in  and  saying:  ‘  Ah  !  there  you  are  !  I  have 
just  had  as  narrow  an  escape  of  breaking  my  neck 
as  I  ever  had  in  my  life.  Coming  out  of  the  ball¬ 
room,  1  caught  my  foot  and  tumbled  full  length 
down  stairs.’” 

The  following  is  vouched  for  by  Miss  Millicent 
Ann  Page,  sister  of  the  Rev.  A.  8haw  Page,  Vicar 


108 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 


of  Lesly,  England,  to  whom  it  Avas  related  by  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Broughton,  Edinburgh: 

“Mrs.  Broughton  aroused  her  husband,  telling 
him  something  dreadful  had  happened  in  France. 
He  bagged  her  to  go  asleep  again.  She  assured  him 
that  she  Avas  not  asleep  when  she  saw  Avhat  she  in¬ 
sisted  in  then  telling  him.  First,  a  carriage  acci¬ 
dent,  which  she  did  not  see,  but  she  saw  the  result : 
a  broken  carriage,  collected  crowd,  a  figure  gently 
raised  and  carried  into  the  nearest  house,  and  then 
a  figure  lying  on  the  bed,  which  she  recognized  as 
the  Duke  of  Orleans.  Gradually  friends  collected 
around  the  bed,  among  them  several  members  of 
the  royal  family — the  Queen,  then  the  King— all 
tearfully,  silently  watching  the  dying  Duke.  One 
man,  she  could  see  his  back,  but  did  not  know  who 
he  was,  was  a  doctor.  He  stood  bending  over  the 
Duke,  feeling  his  pulse  with  his  watch  in  his  other 
hand.  Then  all  passed  away.  In  the  morning  she 
wrote  down  in  her  journal  all  she  had  seen.  It  was 
before  the  days  of  the  telegraph,  and  two  or  more 
days  passed  before  the  Times  announced  the  death 
oT  the  Duke  of  Orleans. 

“A  short  time  after,  she  visited  Paris,  recognized 
the  place  of  the  accident,  and  received  an  explana¬ 
tion  of  her  impression.  The  doctor  avIio  attended 
the  Duke  was  an  old  friend  of  hers  ;  and  as  he 
watched  by  the  bed  he  said  his  mind  was  constantly 
occupied  with  her  and  her  family.  The  reason, 
therefor,  was  the  remarkable  likeness  between  the 
members  of  her  family  and  those  of  the  royal  family 
then  present.  11 1  spoke  of  you  and  yours  when  I 
reached  home,  and  thought  of  you  many  times  that 
evening,’  said  the  doctor.  ‘  The  likeness  between 
yourself  and  the  royal  family  was  never  so  strong. 
Here  was  a  link  betAveen  us,  you  see.’” 


A  VISION. 


109 


Certain  dreams  may  be  explained  by  thought- 
transference,  which  is  liable  to  take  place  during 
the  varying  moods  of  slumber  as  while  awake. 
Rev.  J.  C.  Learned  writes  ( J.  S.  P.  R.)  :  “  It  was  in 

1883  that  I  took  charge  of  the  Unitarian  Church  in 
Exeter,  N.  H.  Five  miles  away,  Rev.  A.  M.  Bridge 
was  preaching  at  Hampton  Falls,  with  whom  I  some¬ 
times  exchanged  pulpits.  After  a  year  or  so  he  gave 
up  the  work  in  this  little  parish,  and  somewhat  later 
entered  upon  an  engagement  in  the  town  of  East 
Marshfield,  Mass.,  as  the  railroad  runs,  eighty  miles 
from  Exeter. 

“  On  Wednesday,  Dec.  13th,  18G5,  on  waking  in 
the  morning,  I  remarked  to  my  wife  upon  the  very 
vivid  and  singular  dream  which  I  had  had,  and  re¬ 
lated  it  fully.  I  had  seen  Mr.  Bridge  taken  suddenly 
and  violently  ill.  He  seemed  to  be  in  a  school-room. 
He  sank  down  helpless  and  was  borne  away  by 
friendly  hands.  I  was  by  him,  and  assisted  others 
in  whatever  way  I  could.  But  he  grew  worse ;  the 
open  air  did  not  revive  him ;  a  leaden  pallor  soon 
spread  over  his  features ;  peculiar  spots  which  I  had 
never  seen  before,  like  moles  or  discoloration  of  the 
skin,  appeared  upon  his  face,  and  after  much  suf¬ 
fering  he  died.  Immediately  after  breakfast,  and 
while  we  were  still  speaking  of  the  dream,  a  ring 
at  the  door  admitted  Mr.  Wells  Healy,  an  old 
parishioner  of  Mr.  Bridge,  at  Hampton  Falls.  I 
guessed  the  nature  of  his  message.  He  had  come' 
to  ask  me  to  attend  the  funeral  services  of  his  for¬ 
mer  minister. 

“I  attended  the  funeral  as  requested.  I  learned 
from  the  family  the  particulars  of  his  death,  which 
coincided  remarkably  in  several  points  with  the 
dream  already  repeated  to  my  wife,  and  when  I 
looked  at  the  dead  man  in  his  coffin,  my  attention 


110 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE, 


was  fixed  by  the  peculiar  spots  on  his  face  to  which 
I  have  alluded,  and  which  were  stamped  on  my 
memory.” 

Double  Presence. — Appearance  of  Living  Persons 
at  a  Distance. — It  would  appear  that  this  projection 
of  thought  to  distant  localities  may  be  so  strong,  as 
to  carry  the  appearance  of  the  projector  with  it. 
This  may  be  explained  by  the  aid  of  psycliometry, 
or  by  the  actual  projection  of  the  psychic  individu¬ 
ality,  so  as  to  give  the  impression  of  identity,  and  not 
only  that,  but  to  receive  and  retain  impressions  on 
the  part  of  the  projector.  The  double  presence  which 
has  so  perplexed  the  student  of  these  mysteries  thus 
admits  of  solution,  and  becomes  a  part  of  the  fabric 
created  by  sensitiveness  to  thought  impressions. 
These  appearances  of  living  persons  as  apparitions 
or  ghosts,  have  been  repeatedly  employed  as  evidence 
of  the  subjectiveness  of  ghostly  apparitions  of  the 
dead  ;  that  as  one  must  be  unreal  so  must  the  other. 
But  this  conclusion  is  unwarranted,  as  by  the  prin¬ 
ciples  here  advocated  the  apparitions  of  the  living 
are  under  the  same  law  as  those  of  the  dead. 

It  is  possible  for  the  independent  clairvoyant  at 
any  time,  in  spirit,  to  visit  distant  localities  and  per¬ 
sons,  and  if  the  latter  are  sufficiently  sensitive,  they 
will  recognize  the  clairvoyant’s  presence.  The  phe¬ 
nomenon  of  “double  presence,”  in  this  manner  can 
be  produced,  as  somnambulism  may  be,  by  artificial 
means  ;  that  is  through  mesmerism  or  hypnotism. 

Many  remarkable  stories  are  recorded  of  the  dou¬ 
ble,  some  of  which  are  unbelievable  unless  the  princi¬ 
ples  heretofore  stated  are  understood. 

Josiah  Gilbert,  in  the  London  Speculator,  gives  the 
following  pleasing  narrative: 

“  A  son  of  a  family  named  Watkinson,  residing  in 


MORE  REMARKABLE  CASES. 


Ill 


Lancashire,  had  gone  to  America.  One  summer 
Sunday  afternoon,  they  were  attending  services  and 
occupying  a  large  square  pew  near  the  pulpit.  It 
was  hot,  the  door  of  the  small  building  was  wide 
open,  undone  of  the  party  who  sat  looking  down  the 
aisle  could  see  out  into  the  meeting-house  yard, 
which  was  shaded  by  tall  trees.  Suddenly,  to  his  in¬ 
tense  surprise,  he  saw  the  absent  brother  approach¬ 
ing  through  the  trees,  enter  at  the  chapel  door,  walk 
up  the  aisle,  come  to  the  very  door  of  the  pew  itself, 
and  lay  his  hand  upon  it  as  though  he  would  take  a 
seat  with  them.  At  that  moment  others  of  the 
family  saw  him  also,  but  at  that  instant  he  van¬ 
ished. 

“  This  strange  occurence  naturally  raised  sad  fore¬ 
bodings,  but  in  course  of  time  a  letter  arrived,  and  it 
appeared  that  the  brother  was  alive  and  well.  He 
was  then  written  to  and  asked  if  anything  peculiar 
had  happened  on  that  Sunday.  He  replied  that  it 
was  odd  that  he  should  remember  anything  about  a 
Sunday  so  long  passed,  but  certainly  something  had 
happened  on  that  Sunday.  He  had  come  in  over¬ 
powered  with  heat  and  had  thrown  himself  on  his 
bed,  fallen  asleep  and  had  a  strange  dream.  He 
found  himself  among  the  trees  of  a  country  chapel; 
service  was  going  on;  he  saw  them  all,  the  door 
being  open,  sitting  in  their  pews  ;  he  walked  up  the 
aisle  and  put  his  hand  on  the  pew  door  to  open  it, 
when  he  suddenly,  and  to  his  great  chagrin,  awoke.” 

S.  F.  Deane,  M.  D.,  of  Carlton,  Neb.,  had  a  remark¬ 
able  experience  which  he  relates  as  follows: 

“After  my  arrival  in  Nebraska,  I  made  my  home 
with  my  daughters.  At  the  time  1  left  Wisconsin, 
my  wife  was  not  well  and  I  hesitated  to  leave  her. 
After  I  had  been  absent  about  three  weeks,  I  had 
retired  to  mv  room,  which  had  a  door  opening  into 


112 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 


the  street.  About  two  o’clock  in  the  morning  while 
awake,  with  sufficent  light  from  a  partially  obscured 
moon  to  see  distinctly  any  person  in  the  room,  fully 
conscious  of  all  my  surroundings,  and  with  my  face 
toward  the  door,  I  saw  it  open  and  a  person  step 
into  the  room,  which  I  at  once  recognized  as  the  ex¬ 
act  image  of  my  wife.  She  came  directly  across  the 
room,  knelt  at  my  bedside,  put  her  arms  about  my 
neck,  kissed  me  and  said  she  had  been  very  sick  but 
was  better  now.  Then  she  said  she  must  go  and  see 
Adelaide,  and  arose  and  passed  across  the  room,  to 
the  door  of  our  daughter's  room.  She  was  gone  a 
few  minutes  when  she  again  came  through  the  open 
bedroom  door  into  my  room,  looked  at  me,  as  much 
as  to  say  good-bye,  passed  out  at  the  door,  and  was 
gone. 

“While  she  was  present  a  peculiar  calmness  came 
over  me ;  but  when  she  was  gone  a  great  anxiety 
took  possession  of  me,  and  could  I  have  taken  a 
train,  I  should  have  at  once  started  for  home.  But 
I  at  last  resolved  to  await  a  letter,  which  came  in 
due  time  from  my  son.  He  wrote :  ‘Mother  is  quite 
sick,  though  better  than  night  before  last,  when 
about  half-past  two  or  three  o’clock  in  the  morning 
we  thought  for  twenty  or  thirty  minutes  she  was 
dead.  She  lay  insensible,  pulsation  ceased,  or  only 
fluttei’ed  at  intervals,  and  respiration  seemed  sus¬ 
pended,  but  she  rallied  and  is  now  in  a  fair  way  to 
recover.’  She  did  recover  and  enjoyed  a  fair  de¬ 
gree  of  health.” 

There  is  no  limit  to  the  facts  of  this  class  which 
might  be  collected.  Enough  have  been  here  pro¬ 
duced  to  show  that  coincidence  offers  a  poor  apology 
as  an  explanation.  The  student  will  observe  also, 
that  however  carefully  the  facts  are  selected  bear¬ 
ing  on  this  one  point  of  thought  transference,  it  is 


THE  THOUGHT  ATMOSPHERE. 


113 


impossible,  so  intimately  related  are  the  branches  of 
psychic  science,  to  have  them  entirely  free  from  the 
possibility  of  other  explanations.  Granting  that 
thought  may  be  transferred  from  one  mortal  to  an¬ 
other,  admits  that  a  spirit  may  transfer  its  thoughts 
to  a  mortal  also,  and  hence  a  spirit  seeing  a  friend 
in  distress  may  act  as  a  messenger.  But  in  such  a 
case  thought  is  transferred,  and  in  the  same  manner. 
The  sensitive  on  one  side  receives  the  pulsations  of 
thought  from  the  other,  through  and  by  means  of  the 
psychic  ether. 

It  will  be  thus  seen  that  there  is  no  mystery  in  one 
mind  becoming  cognizant  of  the  thoughts  of  another 
mind,  for  if  in  sympathy,  such  a  result  is  sure  to  fol¬ 
low.  As  a  lamp  gives  light,  because  it  is  able  to  set 
the  light  medium  in  motion,  or  give  off  waves  there¬ 
in,  so  the  brain  gives  off  waves,  or  is  a  pulsating 
center  in  the  psychic-ether.  These  waves  go  out¬ 
ward  and  form  the  sphere  of  the  individual,  as  the 
waves  of  light  go  out  and  form  the  sphere  of  light 
around  an  incandescent  body. 

To  be  recognized,  they  must  strike  against  a  sen¬ 
sitive  or  sympathetic  brain,  wherein  they  may  be 
reproduced.  By  sympathetic,  we  mean  one  which, 
for  want  of  a  better  term,  we  will  say  is  similarly  at¬ 
tuned.  Thus,  when  two  musical  instruments  are 
placed  at  some  distance  from  each  other,  and 
one  is  played,  if  they  are  not  attuned  in  harmony 
the  other  will  give  no  response ;  but  if  they  are, 
then  when  one  is  touched,  the  other  answers  note 
for  note. 

The  brain,  being  a  pulsating  center,  its  thoughts, 
as  they  go  out  in  waves,  have  to  other  brains,  a  tan¬ 
gible  representation.  The  psychic-ether,  pulsating 
with  innumerable  waves,  may  be  regarded  as  a  uni¬ 
versal  thought  atmosphere,  and  the  sensitive  brain 


114 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 


is  able  to  gather  from  it  thoughts  and  ideas  which 
its  pulsations  express. 

If  any  reliance  can  be  placed  on  the  observations 
of  the  most  credible  witnesses,  whose  evidence  would 
be  received  on  any  other  subject,  and  in  law  would 
be  given  power  to  decide  on  life  or  death,  these 
facts  of  Thought  Transference  cannot  be  rejected. 
If  they  are  received,  they  demand  explanation.  If 
thought  passes  from  one  mind  to  another,  or,  as  it  is 
often  expressed,  the  will  influences  a  distant  person, 
it  is  self-evident  that  something  passes  from  one  to 
the  other.  What  is  this  something  ?  Facts  conflict 
with  the  hypothesis  of  its  being  matter  radiated  from 
one  individual  to  another,  as  light  was  once  supposed 
to  be  transmitted.  It  passes  too  readily  through 
vast  thicknesses  of  solid  matter,  and  is  too  instan¬ 
taneous  in  its  action,  to  consist  of  radiant  particles. 
On  the  other  hand,  all  of  its  phenomena  show 
a  striking  relationship  to  light,  heat  and  kindred 
forces. 

Mow  is  this  Influence  Exerted? — Admitting  that 
there  is  a  psychic-ether,  in  which  thinking  produces 
waves,  how  does  one  individual  influence  another 
thereby  ?  If  the  brain  vibrates  like  the  strings  of 
a  musical  instrument,  as  no  two  are  alike,  no  two 
vibrate  alike.  This  is  more  than  a  mere  illustra¬ 
tion.  Both  depend  on  similar  laws,  for  the  string 
excites  vibrations  in  the  air,  which  are  felt  by 
the  nerves  of  the  tympanum  of  the  ear.  Think¬ 
ing  creates  undulations  in  ether,  which  are  im¬ 
pressed  on  other  minds.  The  string  of  the  instru¬ 
ment  excites  similar  vibrations  in  contiguous  strings; 
for  the  atmosphere  transmits  the  waves  of  sound. 

This  is  very  beautifully  shown  by  a  simple  experi¬ 
ment,  which  equally  well  illustrates  the  method  by 


AN  ILLUSTRATION. 


115 


which  mind  influences  mind.  If  a  plate  of  glass  is 
strewn  with  sand,  and,  while  held  in  a  horizontal 
position,  a  bow  drawn  across  its  edge,  a  musical 
sound  will  be  produced  from  the  vibration  of  the 
plate,  and  the  sand,  by  the  impulse,  forms  into 
various  geometric  lines,  according  to  the  note  pro¬ 
duced — each  note  giving  rise  to  a  figure  peculiar 
to  itself.  So  invariably  is  this  the  case  that  a  piece 
of  music  might  be  accurately  written  from  the  forms 
assumed  by  the  sand. 

Now,  if  a  piece  of  parchment  or  paper  be  stretched, 
with  proper  precautions,  across  the  top  of  a  large 
bell  glass  and  stewn  with  sand,  and  the  glass  plate 
held  over  it  horizontally,  and  the  bow  drawn  across 
its  edge,  the  forms  assumed  by  the  sand  on  the 
paper  will  accurately  correspond  with  the  forms 
on  the  glass.  If  the  glass  is  slowly  removed  to 
greater  and  greater  distances,  the  correspondence 
will  continue  until  the  distance  becomes  too  great 
for  the  air  to  transmit  the  vibrations. 

When  a  slow  air  is  played  on  a  flute  near  this 
apparatus,  each  note  calls  up  a  particular  form  in 
the  sand,  which  the  next  note  effaces  and  establishes 
its  own.  The  motion  of  the  sand  ■will  even  detect 
sounds  that  are  inaudible. 

Professor  Wheaton  devised  a  means  of  beautifully 
illustrating  this  sympathy.  If  a  sounding  board  is 
placed  so  as  to  resound  to  all  the  instruments  of  the 
orchestra,  and  connected  by  a  metallic  rod  of  con¬ 
siderable  length  with  the  sounding-board  of  a  harp 
or  piano,  the  instrument  will  accurately  repeat  the 
notes  transmitted. 

The  nervous  system,  in  its  two-fold  relation  to  the 
physical  and  spiritual  being,  is  inconceivably  more 
finety  organized  than  the  most  perfect  musical  in¬ 
strument,  and  is  possessed  of  finer  sensitiveness. 


116 


THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 


But  it  must  not  be  inferred  that  all  minds  are 
receptive.  Light  falls  on  all  substances  alike,  but 
is  very  differently  affected.  One  class  of  bodies  ab¬ 
sorbs  all  but  the  yellow  rays ;  another,  all  but  the 
blue ;  another,  all  but  the  red,  because  these  sub¬ 
stances  are  so  organized  that  they  respond  only  to 
~  waves  of  the  colors  reflected. 

Some  individuals  have  the  ear  so  organized  that 
they  can  hear  certain  sounds,  but  are  totally  deaf 
to  others.  The  waves  of  sound  strike  all  tympanums 
alike ;  yet  in  these  instances  they  are  incapable  of 
responding  to  certain  waves.  Some  person  who  de¬ 
light  in  music,  although  all  the  lower  notes  are 
plainly  heard,  as  soon  as  the  tune  rises  to  a  high 
key,  can  not  hear  a  single  sound.  In  others,  this  is 
reversed.  The  eye  of  some  individuals  is  similarly 
arranged— some  colors  being  undiscernable,  while 
others  are  perceptible.  The  vibrations  are  the  same 
in  all  these  cases,  but  owing  to  peculiarities  of  or¬ 
ganization  are  not  felt.  As  musical  instruments  to 
respond  must  be  attuned  in  harmony,  so  there  must 
be  corelated  harmony  between  minds  which  trans¬ 
mit  and  receive  thoughts.  All  minds  give  out  vi¬ 
brations,  as  all  musical  strings  give  out  sounds ;  and 
as  there  must  be  a  corresponding  string  to  receive 
its  notes,  so  there  must  be  not  only  a  sensitive  but 
harmoniously  attuned  mind  to  receive  the  thought 
vibrations. 

Individuals  not  mutually  harmonious — at  least 
in  some  point — do  not  excite  a  mental  influence  on 
each  other ;  but  if  they  are  thus  organized,  they  will 
influence  each  other.  This  is  unavoidable,  whether 
the  will  is  excited  or  not ;  but  if  the  stronger  will  is 
exerted,  its  power  is  proportionally  greater,  and  it 
will  magnetize  the  weaker;  and  the  peculiar  phenom¬ 
ena  attending  that  mental  state  will  be  manifested. 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


117 


It  is  not  the  body  which  magnetizes  or  is  magnet¬ 
ized  ;  it  is  the  mind  ;  and  these  effects  are  produced 
outside  of  the  physical  system.  The  fact  that  one 
person  can  magnetize  another  by  the  simple  power 
of  the  will,  though  at  a  distance,  is  evidence  that  the 
mind  in  this  exercise  of  power  is  independent  of  the 
body. 

If  we  grant,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument,  that 
there  is  a  spirit  back  of  the  physical  aspect  of  mortal 
life,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  all  that  has  been 
said  of  the  transference  of  thought  between  indi¬ 
viduals,  holds  true  between  spiritual  beings,  as  this 
transference  at  last  resides  in  the  spirit-being.  As 
man  is  a  spirit  incarnated,  differing  in  that  respect 
only  from  a  disembodied  spirit,  the  body  is  the  only 
obstacle  between  him  and  the  spirits  above  him. 
Sensitiveness  to  impressions  from  another,  or  from 
a  spirit,  rest  on  the  same  cause ;  and  in  the  higher 
realm  of  spirit,  the  transference  of  thought  is  con¬ 
trolled  by  the  same  laws,  and  reaches  more  perfect 
expression. 


Intimations  of  an  Intelligent  Force. 


Belief  in  Guardian  Angels. — Memory  brings  back 
the  days  of  our  childhood  and  again  we  hear  our 
mother  sing  that  simple  song  of  joy,  which,  it  is  said, 
Bishop  McKendee  murmured  on  his  dying  bed : 

Bright  angels  have  from  glory  come, 

They’re  round  my  bed  ;  they’re  in  my  room  ; 

They  wait  to  waft  my  spirit  home  ; 

All  is  well  !  All  is  well  I 


118 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


W e  approach  the  dark  river  of  death  alone,  but  we 
are  not  to  cross  without  a  guide.  We  may  be  blind 
to  the  light  of  the  celestial  sphere  in  the  full  pulse  of 
health ;  we  may  be  insensible  to  the  presence  of  the 
nearest  and  dearest  of  our  departed ;  yet  when  death 
loosens  the  bonds  which  unite  the  physical  with  the 
spiritual  body,  what  is  known  dimly  as  clairvoyance, 
the  full  possession  of  the  spiritual  senses,  bursts  upon 
the  awakened  spirit.  Then  the  dying  find  that  death 
is  life,  and  to  leave  earthly  friends  is  to  meet  the 
hosts  of  heaven. 

That  there  are  guardian  angels  has  been  taught 
from  immemorial  time,  and  in  some  dim  form  is  a  be¬ 
lief  of  all  except  the  lowest  races  of  mankind. 

It  is  a  beautiful  belief,  full  of  consolation,  of  assur¬ 
ance,  and  comfort  to  the  struggling  and  striving. 
Kow  hard  may  press  the  iron  hand  of  fate,  how 
sharp  the  flinty  stones  beneath  our  bleeding  feet,  we 
think  of  those  blessed  messengers  by  our  side,  and 
feel  that  our  burdens  are  for  the  purpose  of  giving  us 
strength,  else  they  would  turn  us  aside  to  more 
pleasant  paths.  W e  know  that  they  are  with  us  in 
the  darkest  hours,  and  enjoy  with  us  the  days  of  our 
sunshine.  We  delve  in  the  soil  and  smirch  of  the 
world,  and  the  physical  being  obscures  and  overlaps 
the  spiritual  to  such  a  degree  that  our  horizon 
is  shut  down  on  that  side  by  thick  clouds,  and  only 
at  long  intervals  can  a  ray  of  light  penetrate  the 
darkness. 

Our  lives  might  be  so  well  ordered  that  we  would 
be  as  conscious  of  the  presence  of  these  guardians 
as  of  earthly  friends.  What  is  possible  at  rare 
moments  of  lucidity  is  possible  at  all  times  under  like 
conditions.  The  faultis  not  on  their  side,  but  on 
ours.  The  sun  forever  shines  in  the  heavens,  just 
above  the  thin  vail  of  clouds,  and  if  the  sea  does  not 


THE  WORLD  OF  SPIRIT. 


119 


reflect  the  starry  night,  it  is  because  of  its  agitated 
surface. 

We  do  not  see  through  the  thin  vail,  which  separ¬ 
ates  the  world  of  spirits  and  men.  We  cannot  see 
the  air  which  surges  a  profound  and  agitated  ocean 
above  and  around  us.  Without  material  rays  of  light' 
we  could  not  see  material  things,  and  would  be  prac- 1 
tically  blind. 

If  we  ascend  a  mountain  in  the  night,  we  can 
only  perceive  the  gray  and  mossy  rocks  a  few  yards 
ahead  of  us,  bordering  the  path,  beyond  which  would 
be  impenetrable  darkness,  gloomy  abysses,  seemingly 
unfathomable,  and  above,  the  dark  night-clouds 
without  a  star.  On  the  summit  we  rest  awaiting  the 
morning,  seeing  nothing,  but  scenting  the  faint  odors 
of  pine  and  the  fragrance  of  flowers  borne  upwards 
on  the  gentle  air.  Patiently  we  wait  until  the  gr^y 
East  blushes  with  a  long  horizontal  line  of  light  flam¬ 
ing  upward  toward  the  crimson  clouds,  and  the  dis¬ 
tant  mountain-tops  with  the  silver  flood.  Lo  !  the 
orb  of  day  pushes  the  clouds  aside,  and  flashes  over 
the  world  in  triumph.  What  transformation  !  What 
grandeur  and  beauty  !  Valleys  of  eden,  loveliness  at 
our  feet,  and  snowy  summits  above  our  heads ! 
Grand  forests  clothing  the  hillsides,  bloom  and  flower 
everywhere;  gem-like  lakes,  and  flashing  torrents, 
endless  prospective  of  mountains  on  one  side,  and  of 
plain  on  the  other  All  night  we  were  in  the  midst 
of  this  grandeur  and  beauty,  yet  saw  it  not.  We 
seemed  suspended  between  earth  and  sky,  and  around 
us  only  blackness,  yet  all  this  splendor  of  scenery 
existed  the  same  as  it  did  before  the  light  made  it 
visible. 

Thus  the  world  of  spirit  may  exist  around  us,  un¬ 
seen,  unfelt,  except  as  we  perceive  the  odor  of  aspho¬ 
dels’,  or  hear  the  faint  murmur  of  angel  whispers, 


120 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


for  our  eyes  are  blind  to  the  light,  by  which  it  is  re¬ 
vealed. 

Facts  Unreferahle  to  Previously  Considered  Causes. 
— After  referring  to  hypnotism,  somnambulism, 
clairvoyance  and  thought  transference,  a  great  mass 
of  the  facts  presented  for  explanation,  there  still  re¬ 
main  a  large  number  which  stand  apart  by  them¬ 
selves,  and  which  bring  an  outside  or  independent 
intelligence  with  them,  which  no  exaltation  on  the 
part  of  the  actor  can  supply.  The  only  adequate 
or  even  plausible  explanation  of  these  facts  is  that 
which  refers  them  to  the  agency  of  intelligent  be¬ 
ings  beyond  our  ken.  The  presence  of  such  entities 
may  or  may  not  be  recognized  by  the  percipient. 
The  ideas  and  motives  may  be  impressed  all  the 
same.  We  may  be  assured  that  unconciously  those 
who  by  study  and  practical  experience  become 
adept  in  particular  lines  of  thought  or  practical 
affairs,  are  the  most  proper  mediums  for  the  com¬ 
munication  of  spirits  dwelling  in  the  same  sphere 
of  thought,  and  that  such  communications  are  con¬ 
tinuously  made  unconciously  to  the  percipients.  The 
weird  stories  which  come  up  from  the  rugged  toilers 
of  the  sea  are  full  of  interest  in  this  particular. 
The  infinite  solitude  of  waters ;  the  long  and  lonely 
watches,  with  the  sweep  of  waves  and  the  silent 
stars,  conduce  to  a  state  of  abstraction  and  reverie, 
peculiarly  favorable  to  the  reception  of  impressions. 
If  there  is  need  in  this  world  of  the  watchful  care 
of  guardian  angels,  the  sailor  on  the  lone  ship  which 
plows  the  trackless  waste  at  the  mercy  of  the  ele¬ 
ments  requires  them  most.  Human  skill  and  fore¬ 
sight  may  provide  to  the  utmost,  and  yet  there  re. 
mains  the  greater  dangers  which  can  not  be  fore¬ 
seen  or  provided  against.  The  sailor,  feeling  that 


UNREFERABLE  FACTS. 


131 


he  is  helpless  in  the  hands  of  the  elements,  becomes 
superstitious,  though  often  what  is  called  in  him 
superstition,  is  belief  in  influences  which  future 
knowledge  may  accept  as  valuable  accessions  to 
the  realm  of  mental  science.  I  have  from  the  lips 
of  Capt.  D.  B.  Edwards,  the  narrative  of  two  in¬ 
cidents  in  the  life  of  his  brother,  which  illustrates 
this  faculty  of  intuition,  if  we  may  give  it  that 
name ;  and  if  one  were  to  gather  up  similar  stories 
which  are  told  by  the  officers,  volumes  might  be 
filled. 

Capt.  John  B.  Edwards  was  in  command  of  the 
steamship  “Monterey,”  one  of  the  New  York  and 
New  Orleans  line  of  steamers.  In  one  of  his  voy¬ 
ages  he  came  up  with  Sandy  Hook  in  a  terrible 
storm.  The  air  was  so  full  of  driving  snow  that  the 
officers  could  not  see  the  length  of  the  vessel.  The 
sea  was  high  and  rapidly  increasing,  and  no  pilot 
responded.  To  remain  was  impossible ;  to  go  on 
was  almost  certain  destruction.  If  the  Captain  could 
make  the  light-ship  he  would  know  his  bearings, 
and  be  able  to  steer  into  harbor;  but  in  that  drift 
of  blinding  snow  and  rush  of  waters,  in  which  he 
had  made  his  approach  from  the  sea,  he  had  been 
unable  to  make  observations,  and  had  no  assur¬ 
ance  that  he  had  not  deviated  from  his  course  under 
the  influence  of  the  drift  of  wind  or  current,  at  least 
to  the  variation  of  a  league  or  more.  In  his  per¬ 
plexity  he  ordered  the  ship  to  be  stopped,  and  for 
a  moment  reflected  on  the  difficulties  of  his  posi¬ 
tion.  While  thus  waiting,  with  every  sense  strained 
to  the  utmost,  an  impression  came  like  a  flash,  that 
the  light-ship  lay  in  a  certain  direction.  He 
immediately  ordered  the  officers  to  keep  a  sharp 
lookout  forward,  for  he  would  run  ten  minutes  in 
a  certain  direction  to  test  his  impression.  The  great 


122 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


wheels  again  revolved,  and  the  steamer  swung 
obedient  to  command,  and  rushed  on  into  the  drift. 
In  six  minutes  the  mate  on  the  bow  threw  up  his 
hands,  crying:  “  Hard-a-port !  hard-a-port !  ”  and  the 
steamer  quickly  responding  to  her  helm,  passed  the 
stern  of  the  light-ship,  from  which  the  Captain  easily 
took  his  bearings  and  safely  steamed  into  the  port 
of  New  York. 

During  the  war  Capt.  Edwards  was  coast  pilot  for 
the  Government  steamer  “Vanderbilt.”  During  one 
voyage  he  came  up  to  the  “Hook;”  a  storm  was  com¬ 
ing  on  and  no  pilot  in  sight.  The  Commodore  came 
to  the  wheel-house  and  asked  Capt.  Edwards  if  he 
thought  he  could  take  the  ship  into  port.  Edwards 
shrank  and  trembled  at  the  question,  for  he  knew 
the  ship  was  drawing  as  much,  if  not  niore  water, 
than  was  on  the  bar,  and  the  responsibility  thus 
thrust  upon  him  was  overwhelming.  But  suddenly 
he  was  forced  to  speak,  replying  without  hesitation: 
“Yes,  sir.”  “Go  ahead,”  was  the  order  of  the  Com¬ 
modore.  With  every  faculty  intensely  active,  his 
strong  and  steady  hand  held  the  wheel,  and  the  ship 
went  over  the  bar  without  touching,  and  all  was 
well.  His  ability  and  trustworthiness  for  the  action 
received  the  highest  recommendation  from  the  Com¬ 
modore. 

It  is  sad  to  learn  that  this  noble  man  sacrificed  his 
own  life  in  caring  for  his  mate,  who  was  a  victim  of 
yellow  fever  in  the  hospital  of  Rio  Janeiro.  From 
the  many  remarkable  experiences  in  his  own  life, 
Capt.  D.  B.  Edwards  related,  I  take  one  which  is 
characteristic  of  the  others.  He  is  a  strong  and 
powerfully  built  man,  with  every  line  indicative  of 
honest  resolution  and  endurance.  He  has  retired 
from  the  sea-faring  life,  but  has  made  his  home  by 
the  coast.  He  impresses  one  with  rare  and  sterling 


SAVED  BY  A  PREMONITION. 


123 


honesty  and  purity  of  character,  and  a  self-contained 
repose  which  is  a  peculiarity  of  most  officers  who 
have  passed  their  lives  at  sea. 

He  said  that  one  bright  day  in  March,  sailing  up 
Long  Island,  he  was  overtaken  by  a  snow-storm 
which  suddenly  concealed  all  landmarks,  and  the 
wind  momentarily  increasing,  soon  became  a  terrific 
gale.  In  that  narrow  strait  one  has  not  to  sail  for  a 
great  length  of  time  in  the  wrong  direction  to  reach 
the  coast.  As  night  came  on  the  situation  became 
more  appalling,  and  wreck  most  certain.  He  gave 
the  wheel  to  the  mate  and.  allowed  himself  time  to 
reflect.  He  could  arrive  at  no  conclusion.  Sud¬ 
denly  it  flashed  through  his  mind  to  steer  by  the 
lead!  How?  “Why,  where  the  Thames  enters 
the  Sound  it  is  deeper.  When  you  reach  that 
channel  follow  it  into  safety.”  It  was  the  only 
chance,  and  he  seized  it.  He  went  to  the  bow,  for 
he  would  trust  no  one,  ordering  the  mate  to  impli¬ 
citly,  and  with  utmost  readiness,  obey  orders,  and 
hold  the  vessel  on  her  present  course.  Standing  at 
the  bow,  with  the  spray  falling  in  torrents  over  him. 
and  the  wind  straining  the  spars  to  the  utmost,  he 
cast  the  lead  to  find  the  ordinary  level  of  the  Sound. 
He  continued  to  cast  until  suddenly  deeper  water 
was  indicated,  and  with  joy  he  gave  the  oi’der  that 
changed  the  course  of  the  vessel,  and  in  a  few  min¬ 
utes  brought  her  into  the  still  waters  of  the  Thames. 
Then,  he  said,  in  a  change  of  warm,  dry  clothing, 
they  sat  in  the  snug  cabin  and  drank  their  hot  coffee 
with  a  sense  of  peace  words  can  but  feebly  express. 

Saved  From  Death  by  a  Premonition.— It  may  be 
said  that  under  the  stimulus  of  danger  and  great 
emergency,  the  mental  faculties  become  intensified, 
and  that  we  can  not  fix  their  limits  ;  that  all  that 


124 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


was  required  of  Capt.  Edwards  was  courage  to  act 
in  response  to  knowledge  lie  had  acquired,  but  which 
was  latent  until  called  forth  by  the  extraordinary 
demand.  We  shall  now  introduce  facts  to  which 
this  pleading  will  not  apply.  The  first  shows  two 
distinct  intelligences,  one  of  which  was  superior  to 
that  of  mortals,  for  it  could  foresee  the  future,  and 
must  have  acted  on  Capt.  McGowan,  to  compel 
him  to  relinquish  a  well  formed  plan,  without  any 
assignable  reason,  and  pursue  one  entirely  different. 
The  thought  of  the  theater  had  not  entered  his 
mind,  and  he  gave  his  boys  no  excuse  for  breaking 
his  word  with  them. 

Capt.  McGowan,  12th  U.  S.  I.,  thus  relates  this 
story  ( J .  S.  P.  R.,  Feb.,  1885) : 

“  In  Jan.  1887,  I  was  on  leave  of  absence  in  Brook¬ 
lyn,  with  my  two  boys,  then  on  a  vacation  from 
school.  I  promised  to  take  them  to  the  theater 
that  night  and  engaged  seats  for  us  three.  At 
the  same  time  I  had  an  opportunity, to  examine  the 
interior  of  the  theater,  and  went  over  it  carefully, 
stage  and  all.  These  seats  were  engaged  on  the 
previous  day,  but  on  the  day  of  the  proposed  visit 
it  seemed  as  if  a  voice  within  me  was  constantly 
saying,  ‘Do  not  go  to  the  theater;  take  the  boys 
back  to  school.’  I  could  not  keep  these  words  out 
of  my  mind ;  they  grew  stronger  and  stronger, 
and  at  noon  I  told  my  friends  and  the  boys  I 
would  not  go  to  the  theater.  My  friends  remon¬ 
strated  with  me,  and  said  I  was  cruel  to  deprive  the 
boys  of  a  promised  and  unfamiliar  pleasure,  and  I 
partially  relented ;  but  all  the  afternoon  the  words 
kept  repeating  themselves  and  impressing  them¬ 
selves  upon  me.  That  evening,  less  than  an  hour 
before  the  doors  opened,  I  insisted  on  the  boys  go¬ 
ing  to  New  York  with  me,  and  spending  the  night 


8A  VED  FROM  INTEMPERANCE. 


125 


at  a  hotel  convenient  to  the  railroad,  by  which  we 
could  start  in  the  early  morning.  I  felt  ashamed  of 
the  feeling  which  impelled  me  to  act  thus,  but  there 
seemed  no  escape  from  it.  That  night  the  theater 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  with  the  loss  of  300  lives.  Had 
I  been  present,  from  my  previous  examination  of  the 
building,  I  should  certainly  have  taken  my  children 
over  the  stage  when  the  fire  broke  out,  in  order  to 
escape  by  a  private  exit,  and  would  just  as  certainly 
have  been  lost  as  were  all  those  who  trusted  to  it,  for 
that  passage  by  an  accident  could  not  be  used.  .  .  . 
I  never  had  a  presentiment  before  nor  since.  What 
was  it  that  caused  me,  against  my  desire,  to  abandon 
the  play  after  having  secured  the  seats  and  care¬ 
fully  arranged  for  the  pleasure  ?” 

Saved  from  Intemperance. — S.  H.  Mann,  of  Wash¬ 
ington,  D.  C.,  wrote  the  following  personal  experi¬ 
ence  to  Dr.  M.  L.  Holbrook.  When  a  youth,  he  was 
clerk  in  a  country  store,  and  formed  the  habit  of 
saturating  loaf  sugar  with  brandy  and  eating  it.  It 
was  in  the  early  part  of  this  century,  and  before  the 
temperance  movement  had  been  inaugurated.  At 
that  time  the  use  of  alcoholic  beverages  was  con¬ 
sidered  almost  as  essential  to  health  as  food.  He 
had  regarded  the  saturated  sugar  as  a  pleasant  con¬ 
fection  and  had  not  become  aware  of  the  strong 
hold  the  habit  had  taken  on  him,  or  how  passion¬ 
ately  fond  of  it  he  had  become.  One  day  he  went 
into  the  cellar  with  his  sugar,  saturated  it,  and  was 
in  the  act  of  raising  it  to  his  mouth,  when  his  arm 
became  paralyzed,  and  a  voice  out  of  the  air,  for  he 
was  alone,  spoke  to  him  in  stern  tones,  saying : 
“Young  man,  stop!  If  you  continue  this  habit  you 
will  die  a  drunkard!”  He  could  not  move  his  hand 
to  his^mouth,  and  at  last  he  let  the  sugar  drop  as  his 


126 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


hand  fell  helpless  by  liis  side.  The  occurrence  made 
such  a  strong  impression  on  him,  that  he  became  a 
total  abstainer,  at  a  time  when  nearly  all  drank,  and 
has  remained  true  to  his  convictions  all  his  life. 

A  Soldier’s  Life  Saved  by  a  Dream. — This  story  is 
3ret  more  remarkable.  Rev.  L.  W.  Lewis,  in  his 
“  Reminiscences  of  the  War,”  published  in  the 
Christian  Advocate,  relates  an  instance  where  a 
dream  saved  the  life  of  a  soldier:  “A  man  by  the 
name  of  Williams  had  told  a  dream  to  his  fellow- 
soldiers,  some  of  whom  related  it  to  me  months 
previous  to  the  occurrence  which  I  now  relate. 
He  dreamed  that  he  crossed  a  river,  marched 
over  a  mountain  and  camped  near  a  church  lo¬ 
cated  in  a  wood,  near  which  a  terrible  battle  en¬ 
sued,  and  in  a  charge  just  as  we  crossed  the  ravine 
he  was  shot  in  the  heart.  On  the  ever  memorable 
7tli  of  December,  1862  (Battle  of  Prairie  Grove, 
Northern  Arkansas),  as  we  moved  at  double-quick 
to  take  our  places  in  the  line  of  battle,  then  already 
hotly  engaged,  we  passed  the  church,  a  small  frame 
building.  I  was  riding  in  the  flank  of  the  command 
opposite  to  Williams,  as  we  came  in  view  of  the 
house.  ‘  That  is  the  church  I  saw  in  my  dream,’ 
said  he.  I  made  no  reply,  and  never  thought  of  the 
matter  again  until  the  evening.  We  had  broken  the 
enemy’s  lines  and  were  in  full  pursuit,  when  we 
came  to  a  dry  ravine  in  the  wood  ;  and  Williams 
said:  ‘Just  on  the  other  side  of  this  ravine  I  was  shot 
in  my  dream,  and  I'll  stick  my  hat  under  my  shirt.’ 
Suiting  the  action  to  the  word  he  doubled  up  his  hat 
as  he  ran  along  and  crammed  it  into  his  bosom. 
Scarcely  had  he  adjusted  it  when  a  Minie  ball 
knocked  him  out  of  line;  jumping  up  quickly  he 
pulled  out  his  hat,  waved  it  over  his  head  shouting, 


AN  ERROR  CORRECTED. 


127 


*  I’m  all  right !  ’  The  ball  raised  a  black  spot,  about 
the  size  of  a  man’s  hand,  just  over  his  heart,  and 
dropped  into  his  shoe.” 

Here  the  prophecy  was  a  long  time  ahead,  and 
foretold  the  exact  coming  of  a  hall  depending  on  a 
combination  of  circumstances  which  would  seem 
impossible  for  reason  or  intuition  to  foresee  and  fore¬ 
know.  Its  fulfillment  was  peculiar,  for  by  guarding 
against  it,  the  danger  was  averted  and  the  dream 
proved  untrue. 

An  Error  Corrected  in  a  Remarkable  Manner.— 

The  head  bookkeeper  in  one  of  the  largest  sewing 
machine  companies  in  New  York  City,  in  balancing 
his  books  found  an  error  of  $5.00.  It  was  a  small 
sum,  but  as  a  mistake  was  as  damaging  as  $500.  He 
set  his  assistants  at  work  to  find  it,  yet  day  after  day 
their  labor  was  in  vain.  The}r  worked  for  a  week  and 
accomplished  nothing.  He  became  greatly  annoyed 
and  filled  with  anxiety.  In  his  own  words:  “The 
third  Sunday  after  the  search  was  begun,  I  got  up 
late  after  a  sleepless  night  and  started  out  on  a  walk 
for  exercise.  My  mind  was  on  my  books,  and  I  paid 
no  attention  to  the  direction  I  took.  My  surprise  was, 
therefore,  genuine  when  I  found  myself  at  the  door 
of  the  company's  office  in  Union  Square,  for  I  had  not 
certainly  intended  to  go  there.  Mechanically  I  put 
my  hand  in  my  pocket,  drew  out  the  key,  opened  the 
door  and  went  in.  As  if  in  a  dream  I  walked  to  the 
office,  where  I  turned  the  combination  and  unlocked 
the  safe.  There  were  the  books,  a  dozen  of  them  in  a 
row.  I  did  not  consider  for  a  moment  which  to  take 
up.  It  was  by  no  volition  on  my  part  that  my  hand 
moved  toward  a  certain  one,  and  drew  it  from  the 
safe.  Placing  it  on  the  desk.  I  opened  it ;  my  eye  ran 
along  the  column  of  figures,  and  there  before  me. 


128 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


plain  as  day,  was  the  missing  $5.00.  I  made  a  note 
of  the  page,  put  the  book  back  in  the  safe,  and  went 
home.  It  was  then  noon.  I  lay  down  an  1  fell  into  a 
deep  sleep  from  which  I  did  not  awake  until  nine 
o’clock  on  Monday  morning.  After  a  hearty  break¬ 
fast  I  hastened  to  the  office  feeling  like  a  new  man. 
It  seemed  as  if  a  burden  had  fallen  from  me,  and  I 
was  walking  on  air.” 

This  bookkeeper,  by  anxiety  and  overwork,  had 
become  very  sensitive.  He  was  by  the  account  he 
gives  of  himself,  in  a  state  bordering  on  clairvoy¬ 
ance.  He  was  automatically  used,  not  by  a  “domi¬ 
nant  idea,”  for  the  dominant  idea  caused  his  mistake, 
and  that  could  not  suggest  to  him  the  book  and 
page,  which  were  readily  found  by  his  hand  being 
moved  by  some  cause.  As  the  hand  could  not  move 
itself,  it  must  have  been  acted  on  by  an  intelligent, 
independent  force. 

A  Mother  Saves  the  Life  of  Her  Son. — Of  warn¬ 
ings  there  are  no  end,  and,  however  much  the  truth 
of  prophecy  may  be  denied,  it  is  certain  that  within 
at  least  narrow  bounds  future  events  may  be  fore¬ 
told.  One  instance  of  this  being  correctly  done  may 
be  referred  to  coincidence,  but  two  places  the  proba¬ 
bilities  on  the  other  side,  and  three  makes  it  impos¬ 
sible.  It  will  be  readily  comprehended  that  no  guess 
told  the  soldier  a  ball  would  strike  him  at  a  certain 
time  and  place,  or  the  father  that  the  theater  would 
be  burned  on  a  certain  night. 

There  is  a  series  of  facts  which  show  direct  inter¬ 
position  of  superior  intelligence,  of  which  the  fol¬ 
lowing  may  be  taken  as  examples.  Col.  Walter  B. 
Daulay  gives  his  personal  experience  when  on  ship¬ 
board  the  “Gulf  of  Lyons ”  in  a  gale  of  wind : 

“I  had  the  mid  watch.  The  night  was  dark  and 


DEATH  FORETOLD  IN  A  VISION. 


129 


terrible,  the  wind  howled  furiously  and  the  heaving 
sea  tossed  our  ship  about  like  a  bit  of  cork.  I  stood 
by  the  mizzen  mast,  holding  on  by  the  fife-rail,  and 
shielding  my  face  from  the  blinding  spray  that 
came  driving  over  the  deck.  Suddenly  I  heard  my 
name  pronounced  as  distinctly  as  I  ever  heard  it  in 
my  life — ‘  Walter  !  Walter  !’  and  it  was  my  mother's 
voice  that  spoke.  She  continued  to  call  me  from  the 
gloom  about  the  main  mast,  and  without  stopping  to 
reflect,  or  thinking  where  I  was,  I  leaped  forward. 
Hardly  had  I  reached  the  after-companion-way, 
when  I  heard  a  crash  behind  me,  and  was  called  to 
myself.  I  turned  and  found  that  an  iron-banded 
burton-block  had  fallen  from  the  top  and  struck  the 
deck  exactly  where  I  had  been  standing !  Had  I 
remained  by  the  fife-rail  three  seconds  longer  than 
I  did,  my  brains  would  have  been  dashed  out.  I 
always  regarded  that  as  an  interposition  in  my  be¬ 
half  of  a  power  independent  of  human  will.” 

Death  Foretold  in  a  Vision. — The  following  facts 
are  vouched  for  by  S.  Bigelow,  a  gentleman  of  un¬ 
questioned  integrity  and  a  shrewd  observer.  In  the 
early  days  of  our  war  one  Albert  Dexter,  near  Ionia, 
Mich.,  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  Third  Michigan  Cavalry. 
His  sister,  Mrs.  John  Dunham,  living  then  and  now 
in  Ionia,  had  what  she  terms  a  vision  the  day  before 
he  enlisted  in  which  she  saw  him — her  brother  Albert 
— on  horseback  ;  saw  him  wheel  and  fall  from  his 
horse.  She  told  Albert  of  her  vision  and  importuned 
him  not  to  go,  but  he  made  light  of  her  fears  and 
vision,  and  went  with  his  company  to  the  fields  of 
blood  and  carnage,  and  often  in  his  letters  he  re¬ 
ferred  to  his  sister’s  fears  and  vision  in  a  light  and 
joyful  mood  ;  but  in  his  last  letter  he  seemed  to  be¬ 
lieve  in  the  vision  and  in  its  probable  fulfillment. 


130 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


More  than  two  years  had  passed  since  the  vision,  and 
no  unfavorable  news  from  Albert,  when  one  after¬ 
noon  in  autumn,  as  Mrs.  Dunham  was  alone  in  her 
quiet  home,  she  heard  a  loud  rap  at  the  door,  opened 
it,  saw  no  one,  felt  impressed,  and  queried  with  her¬ 
self.  “  Why  can't  they  tell  me  ?  ”  but  could  get  noth¬ 
ing  definite  beyond  her  impressions,  and  the  plain, 
loud  rap  about  which  she  could  not  be  mistaken. 
But  during  the  quiet  hours  of  night  her  spiritual 
vision  was  quickened,  and  she  saw  Albert  on  horse¬ 
back,  advance,  then  wheel,  and  then  saw  him  shot 
and  fall,  and  as  plainly  as  though  she  had  been  by 
his  side.  She  saw  just  where  he  was  hit,  how  he 
fell,  etc.  Hence  she  knew  all,  having  full  confidence 
in  such  manifestations,  as  they  were  not  new  to  her. 

She  suffered  intense  agony  and  a  sleepless  night, 
not  expecting  herself  to  survive  ;  was  pale  and  hag¬ 
gard  in  the  morn  ing,  and  scarcely  able  to  be  up.  She 
told  her  friends  and  family  about  the  matter  in  de¬ 
tail,  even  to  the  writing  of  a  letter  by  the  lieutenant 
informing  them.  She  gave  the  contents  of  the  letter 
before  it  was  written.  This  was  on  Tuesday  night 
and  following  morning.  The  next  Sunday  Mrs  D. 
was  visiting  six  miles  from  Ionia,  and  during  the 
day  a  messenger  came  bringing  a  letter,  which  John 
Dexter  had  just  received  from  the  lieutenant  of  the 
Third  Michigan  Cavalry,  giving  particulars  of  his 
brother  Albert's  death  while  engaged  in  action  the 
previous  Tuesday,  confirming  in  every  detail  what 
Mrs.  D.  had  seen  and  told ;  and  farther,  she  felt  or 
saw  the  messenger  with  the  letter  while  yet  far  from 
the  house,  and  told  him  what  he  had,  and  gave  the 
contents  of  the  letter,  assuring  him  that  it  it  was  no 
news  to  her. 

Another  brother,  James,  enlisted  and  went  to  the 
wax’,  and  one  evening  as  Mrs.  D.  was  in  bed  and  Mi’. 


THE  ASSASSINATION  OF  GARFIELD. 


131 


D.  was  reading,  they  both  heard  plainly  the  report 
of  a  pistol  (or  what  seemed  to  them  such),  and  Mrs. 
D.  saw  Albert  and  James  come  in  and  fall  near  her 
bed,  and  told  Mr.  D.  that  James  was  dead,  which 
was  fully  confirmed  by  letter  in  about  two  weeks. 

The  Assassination  of  Garfield  Predicted.— The  as¬ 
sassination  of  Garfield  was  foretold  by  many  sensi¬ 
tives,  for  that  great  event  seemed  to  cast  a  strong 
shadow  before  it.  Several  of  these  prophecies  have 
been  published  since  the  event,  and  consequently 
have  lost  their  weight  as  evidence,  while  others  had 
been  widely  published  before  the  terrible  tragedy. 
The  following  rests  on  the  integrity  of  S.  Bigelow, 
and  is  unquestionably  true. 

A  gentleman  in  Cleveland,  O.,  well  known  there, 
saw  and  knew  that  Garfield  would  be  assassinated 
long  before  he  left  his  quiet  Mentor  home,  and  was 
so  oppressed  with  the  knowledge  that  he  told  Mayor 
Rose  and  Dr.  Streator,  two  very  prominent  and 
wealthy  friends  of  Garfield,  and  both  active  politi¬ 
cians  as  well,  and  they  conferred  with  others,  and 
finally  wrote  to  Garfield  about  it ;  but  the  sensitive, 
in  the  meantime,  felt  impelled  to  do  something,  and 
that  he  must  go  and  see  Garfield  and  warn  him, 
but  being  a  stranger  and  in  humble  circumstances 
he  thought  he  could  not  go;  but  he  could  get  no 
peace  until  he  did,  and  finally  plucked  up  courage  to 
undertake  the,  to  him,  dreaded  mission,  and  went 
alone  and  sad,  to  Mentor.  Garfield  met  him  in  per¬ 
son  (not  by  secretary  as  he  did  others)  at  the  door, 
and  greeted  him  cordially,  and  thus  enabled  him 
to  overcome  his  embarassment  in  a  measure,  and 
to  talk  freely,  which  he  did,  and  as  a  consequence 
Garfield's  bed  was  moved  from  his  bedroom  on  the 
lower  floor  to  the  chamber. 


132 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


This  precaution  prevented  the  crime  for  a  time, 
which  was  ripe  for  execution.  The  same  gentleman 
felt  impelled  to  go  to  Washington  with  the  fateful 
vision,  but  was  prevented  from  going,  and  thus  un¬ 
warned,  Garfield  met  his  death. 

Omens. — Almost  every  one  has  good  and  bad 
omens,  and  although  they  may  think  that  they  have 
entirely  outgrown  such  superstition,  they  will  find 
that  there  yet  lingers  more  or  less  of  the  feeling 
from  education  or  heredity.  They  do  not  believe  that 
seeing  the  moon  over  the  left  shoulder  indicates 
bad  luck,  and  over  the  right  good  fortune,  yet  they 
would  prefer  to  see  it  over  the  right.  They  do  not 
think  Friday  a  more  unlucky  day  than  the  other 
six,  yet  avoid  commencing  important  business  on 
that  day.  There  are  a  great  number  of  omens  and 
signs,  many  of  them  peculiar  to  the  individual ; 
others  world-wide,  and  held  from  remote  antiquity. 
Of  these  it  may  be  said  that  while  of  themselves 
these  signs  and  omens  have  no  relation  to  the 
events  they  presage,  if  we  suppose  a  person  to  ac¬ 
cept  a  certain  omen  as  foreshadowing  a  certain 
event,  a  superior  being  foreknowing  that  event  and 
desiring  to  impress  it  on  the  mind  of  such  person, 
might  use  the  sign  to  convey  the  warning.  To  fur¬ 
ther  illustrate  :  There  may  be  no  connection  between 
seeing  the  moon  over  one’s  right  shoulder  and  a 
fortunate  event  in  store ;  but  a  superior  being,  fore¬ 
seeing  that  event,  may  so  influence  our  minds  as  to 
make  us  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  crescent  on  the 
right. 

Mrs.  Bancroft,  a  daughter-in-law  of  the  great  his¬ 
torian,  has  described  an  uncanny  circumstance 
which  happened  at  a  wedding  in  1863,  where  the 
wives  of  Major  Thos.  Y.  Brent  and  Capt.  Eugene 


A  DREAM  REALIZED. 


133 


Barnes,  of  the  C.  S.  A.  met,  each  wearing  her  bridal 
dress.  While  dressing  for  the  occasion.  Mrs.  Brent’s 
companion  discovered  a  blood  spot  upon  the  dress  of 
the  Major's  wife,  which  could  not  he  accounted  for, 
and  somewhat  excitedly  exclaimed:  “It  is  a  bad 
omen  !”  Two  days  after,  Mrs.  Brent  experienced  a 
severe  pain  in  the  region  of  her  heart,  although  at 
the  time  in  the  best  of  health.  This  occurred  at  the 
birth-place  of  her  husband.  Two  days  later  she 
heard  that  while  storming  a  Federal  fortification,  her 
husband  was  killed  on  July  4th,  1863,  as  far  as  she 
could  learn  at  the  identical  time  that  she  experienced 
the  heart-pain.  The  Major  was  shot  in  the  breast  by 
a  Minnie  ball  and  instantly  killed.  Another  fact  oc¬ 
curred  at  the  time  of  finding  the  blood  spot,  and  that 
was  Mrs.  Thomas  Bright  addressing  the  two  ladies  as 
“war  widows.”  She  believes  in  omens,  and  believes 
that  these  facts  pointed  to  the  death  of  the  lady’s  hus¬ 
band,  which  occurred  so  soon  after. 

•A  Dream  Realized. — The  Mobile  Register  published 
the  following,  under  the  title  of  “  A  Dream  Realized,” 
which  should  be  regarded  as  a  trance,  in  which  state 
the  transcendent  knowledge  was  given  by  some 
superior  intelligence  : 

“  A  man  named  Bronson,  who  was  an  agent  for  a 
seed  house,  was  travelling  through  Tennessee  making 
collections.  One  night,  after  he  had  finished  his  busi¬ 
ness  in  Chattanooga,  he  made  ready  for  a  horseback1 
ride  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  the  next  day.  Upon 
retiring  to  his  room  for  the  night  he  sat  down  to  smoke 
a  cigar. 

"He  was  neither  overtired  nor  sleepy,  but,  after 
smoking  a  few  minutes,  he  had  what  he  termed  a 
vision.  He  was  riding  over  the  country  on  horseback; 
when  at  the  junction  of  two  roads  he  was  joined  by  a 


134 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


stranger.  He  saw  this  man  as  plainly  as  one  man  can 
see  another  in  broad  daylight,  noting  the  color  of  his 
hair  and  eyes  and  taking  particular  notice  of  the  fact 
that  the  horse,  which  was  gray  in  color,  had  a  “y” 
branded  on  his  left  shoulder. 

“  The  two  rode  along  together  for  a  mile  or  more, 
and  then  came  to  a  spot  where  a  tree  had  been 
blown  down  and  fallen  across  the  narrow  highway. 
They  turned  into  the  woods  to  pass  the  spot,  he  in 
advance,  when  he  saw  the  stranger  pull  a  pistol  and 
fire  at  his  back.  He  felt  the  bullet  tear  into  him, 
reeled  and  fell  from  his  horse,  and  was  conscious  when 
the  assassin  robbed  him  and  drew  his  body  further 
into  the  woods.  He  seemed  to  see  all  this,  and  yet  at 
the  same  time  knew  that  he  was  dead.  His  corpse 
was  rolled  into  a  hollow  and  covered  with  brush,  and 
then  the  murderer  went  away  and  left  him  alone. 

“In  making  an  effort  to  throw  off  the  brush,  he 
awoke.  His  cigar  had  gone  out,  and,  as  near  as  he 
could  calculate,  he  had  been  unconscious,  as  you 
might  call  it,  for  about  fifteen  minutes.  He  was 
deeply  agitated,  and  it  was  some  time  before  he  could 
convince  himself  that  he  had  not  suffered  any  injury. 
By-and-by  he  went  to  bed  and  slept  soundly,  and  next 
morning  the  remembrance  of  what  had  happened  in 
his  vision  had  almost  faded  from  his  mind. 

“He  set  out  on  his  journey  in  good  spirits,  and 
found  the  road  so  romantic,  and  met  horsemen  going 
to  town  so  often,  that  he  reached  the  junction  of 
the  roads  without  having  given  a  serious  thought 
to  his  vision. 

“  Then  every  circumstance  was  recalled  in  the 
most  vivid  manner. 

“He  was  joined  there  by  a  stranger  on  a  gray 
horse,  and  man  and  beast  tallied  exactly  with  those 
in  the  vision.  The  man  did  not,  however,  have  the 


A  DREAM  REALIZED. 


135 


look  or  bearing  of  an  evil-minded  person.  On  the 
contrary,  be  seemed  to  be  in  a  jolly  mood,  and  he 
saluted  Bronson  as  frankly  as  an  honest  stranger 
would  have  done.  He  had  no  weapons  in  sight, 
and  he  soon  explained  that  he  was  going  to  the 
village  to  which  Bronson  was  bound,  on  business  4 
connected  with  the  law. 

“  The  agent  could  not  help  but  feel  astonished  and 
startled  at  the  curious  coincidence,  but  the  stranger 
was  so  talkative  and  friendly  that  there  was  no  possi¬ 
ble  excuse  to  suspect  him.  Indeed,  as  if  to  prove  to 
his  companion  that  he  meditated  no  evil,  he  kept 
a  little  in  advance  for  the  next  half  hour.  Bron¬ 
son’s  distrust  had  entirely  vanished,  when  a  turn 
in  the  road  brought  an  obstruction  to  view.  There 
was  a  fallen  tree  across  the  highway !  This  proof 
that  every  point  and  circumstance  in  the  vision 
was  being  unrolled  before  his  eyes,  gave  the  agent 
a  great  shock.  He  was  behind  the  stranger,  and 
he  pulled  out  his  revolver  and  dropped  his  hand 
beside  the  horse  to  conceal  it. 

“‘Well,  well!’  said  the  man,  as  he  pulled  up  his 
horse;  ‘the  tree  must  have  toppled  over  this  morn¬ 
ing.  We’ll  have  to  pass  around  it  to  the  right.’ 

“  Bronson  was  on  the  right.  The  woods  were  clear 
of  underbrush,  and,  naturally  enough,  he  should  have 
been  the  first  to  leave  the  road,  but  be  waited. 

“  ‘  Go  ahead,  friend,’  said  the  stranger,  as  if  the 
words  had  been  addressed  to  the  horse ;  the  animal 
which  the  agent  bestrode  started  up. 

“  Bronson  was  scarcely  out  of  the  road  before  he 
turned  in  his  saddle.  The  stranger  had  a  pistol  in 
his  right  hand.  What  followed  could  not  be  clearly 
related.  Bronson  slid  from  the  saddle  as  a  bullet 
whizzed  past  him,  and  a  second  later  returned  the 
fire.  Three  or  four  shots  were  rapidly  exchanged, 


136 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


and  then  the  would-he  murderer,  uttering  a  yell  show¬ 
ing  that  he  had  been  hit.  wheeled  his  horse  to  gal¬ 
lop  off.  He  had  not  gone  ten  rods  when  the  beast 
fell  under  him,  and  he  kicked  his  feet  from  the  stir¬ 
rups  and  sprang  into  the  woods  and  was  out  of  sight 
in  a  moment.  The  horse  had  received  a  bullet  in  the 
throat  and  was  dead  in  a  few  minutes. 

A  Young  Lady’s  Dream. — Miss  Amelia  Ederly,  a 
young  lady  highly  endowed,  both  mentally  and  physi¬ 
cally,  and  free  from  superstition  or  inclination  to  the 
marvelous,  while  visiting  friends  one  evening  shortly 
before  her  death,  related  a  dream  which  she  had  a 
few  days  previous,  which  had  vividly  impressed  it¬ 
self  on  her  mind.  She  thought  she  saw  herself  ready 
for  burial,  with  her  parents  and  friends  weeping 
around  her.  She  had  no  feeling  ;  only  surprise  that 
her  body  was  clothed  with  a  blue  dress  with  yellow 
roses,  and  she  attempted  to  expostulate  at  this  want 
of  taste,  but  no  one  gave  attention  to  her  remarks. 
She  jested  about  the  dream,  and  it  seemed  not  to 
make  any  deep  impression  ;  but  ten  days  after  this 
visit  she  was  taken  sick  and  died.  She  had  men¬ 
tioned  her  dream  only  once,  and  her  sickness  could 
not  be  referred  to  mental  impression  received  there¬ 
by. 

A  Warning  Yoice. — Dr.  Fisher,  of  Waterford,  Eng¬ 
land,  is  authority  for  the  following : 

“  Miss  Louisa  Benn,  who  lived  with  her. mother  in 
Wednesbury,  had  become  desirous  of  going  to  Aus¬ 
tralia  ;  her  friends  assisted  her  to  means.  After  she 
had  made  preparations,  she  left  her  home  for  Lon¬ 
don,  and  secured  passage  on  a  ship.  On  the  day 
before  the  sailing  of  the  ship  her  mother  heard  a  cry 
of,  'Oh,  mother,’  seemingly  from  the  cellar,  and  in 


AN  OBJECTION. 


137 


her  daughter’s  voice.  She  was  so  alarmed  that  she 
telegraphed  for  her  daughter  to  return,  which  she 
reluctantly  did,  for  she  was  already  on  board,  and 
her  luggage  being  stored  away,  could  not  be  given 
her.  Her  regret  vanished  when  news  came  that 
the  vessel  was  lost,  and  with  it  nearly  all  the  pas" 
sengers.” 

An  Objection. — Here  arises  an  objection  often 
urged  against  such  premonitions.  Of  an  hundred  or 
more  of  passengers,  one  only  is  warned,  while  all  the 
others  are  allowed  to  go  on  board  and  blindly  meet 
their  fate.  If  such  Avarning  come  from  God,  with 
whom  all  things  are  possible,  the  objection  woidd 
have  pertinence,  and  be  unanswerable  unless  rele¬ 
gated  to  the  mystery  of  Godliness.  But  such  warn¬ 
ings  do  not  come  from  God,  but  from  spirit  intelli¬ 
gences  just  above  ourselves,  departed  friends  who 
preserve  an  interest  in  those  who  remain  on  earth. 
It  is  not  probable  that  all,  or  even  any  considerable 
portion  of  these  intelligences,  are  able  to  forecast 
the  future,  or  possess  the  equally  essential  ability  to 
impress  their  thoughts  on  their  earthly  friends.  The 
few  who  know  the  events  of  the  future  may  find 
it  impossible  to  communicate  with  their  friends. 
Hence  the  rare  occurrence  of  such  premonitions, 
and  the  strange  spectacle  of  only  a  single  individual 
among  hundreds  receiving  intimations  of  approach¬ 
ing  danger.  Thus  where  the  laws  and  conditions  of 
impressibility  are  understood,  it  is  not  anomalous 
that  so  few  are  impressed,  but  this  fact  confirms  the 
theory  of  sensitiveness. 

Premonitions  and  presentiments  of  coming  events 
form  a  numerous  class  of  well  attested  cases.  They 
usually  relate  directly  to  the  person  receiving  them, 
and  those  recorded  in  a  majority  of  instances  refer 


138 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


to  sickness  or  death.  It  may  be  supposed  that  a 
great  majority  of  premonitions  received,  are  not  re¬ 
cognized,  or  at  least  recorded.  Many  by  reception 
defeat  their  fulfillment,  quite  as  many,  probably,  as 
bring  their  fulfillment  by  being  received.  When  an 
individual  has  a  premonition  that  he  is  to  die  at  a 
certain  time,  and  does  thus  die,  it  is  said  the  pro¬ 
phecy  so  worked  on  his  mind  that  it  killed  him  at 
the  appointed  time.  Possibly  this  might  happen, 
but  it  rarely  does.  Far  more  often  the  knowledge 
prepares  for  the  event,  and  the  individual  survives 
to  point  at  the  prophecy  as  a  failure.  Again,  the  pre¬ 
sentiment  comes  with  the  certainty  of  a  decree  of 
fate,  and  the  future  is  without  shadow  of  turning, 
and  inexorable  to  our  efforts  or  our  prayers. 

Abraliam  Lincoln’s  Bream. — The  following  dream 
by  Abraham  Lincoln  is  a  matter  of  history,  and  is 
in  harmony  with  the  susceptible  nature  of  that  great 
man.  He  related  it  to  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  others  pre¬ 
sent  in  the  following  words : 

“About  ten  days  ago  I  retired  very  late.  I  had 
been  up  waiting  for  important  dispatches.  I  could 
not  have  been  long  in  bed,  when  I  fell  into  a  slumber 
and  began  to  dream.  There  seemed  to  be  a  death¬ 
like  stillness  about  me.  Then  I  heard  subdued  sobs, 
as  if  a  number  of  persons  were  weeping.  I  thought 
I  left  my  bed  and  wandered  down  stairs.  There  the 
silence  was  broken  by  the  same  sobbing,  but  the 
mourners  were  invisible.  I  went  from  room  to 
room.  No  living  person  was  in  sight,  but  the  same 
mournful  sounds  met  me  as  I  passed  along.  I  was 
puzzled  and  alarmed.  What  could  be  the  meaning 
of  all  this  ?  Determined  to  find  out  the  cause  of  a 
state  of  things  so  mysterious,  I  kept  on  until  I  ar¬ 
rived  at  the  ‘  end  room,’  which  I  entered.  There  I 


A  LITTLE  GIRL'S  PREDICTION. 


139 


met  a  sickening  surprise.  Before  me  was  a  cata¬ 
falque,  on  which  rested  a  coi’pse  wrapped  in  funeral 
vestments.  Around  it  were  stationed  soldiers  who 
were  acting  as  guards  ;  and  there  was  a  throng  of 
people,  some  gazing  mournfully  upon  this  corpse, 
whose  face  was  covered  ;  others  weeping  pitifully, 
‘Who  is  dead  at  the  White  House  ?’  I  demanded  of 
one  of  the  soldiers.  ‘  The  President,’  was  his  answer; 
‘lie  was  killed  by  an  assassin!’  Then  came  a  loud 
burst  of  grief  from  the  crowd,  which  awoke  me  from 
my  dream.  I  slept  no  more  that  night ;  and  although 
it  was  only  a  dream,  I  have  been  strangely  annoyed 
by  it  ever  since.” 

This  occurred  but  a  short  time  before  the  event 
it  heralded,  which  pi  nged  the  nation  into  grief. 
Had  the  President  given  heed  to  its  warning,  and 
not  been  persuaded  by  his  wife,  who  gave  no  credit 
to-  the  supernatural,  the  course  of  events  would  have 
been  different.  Had  he  heeded  the  dream  it  would 
have  been  brought  forward  as  evidence  to  prove  the 
worthlessness  of  such  visions. 

A  Little  Girl  Predicts  Her  own  Death. — Little 
Maud,  three-year-old  daughter  of  George  T.  Ford,  of 
Elmore,  Mich.,  came  to  her  mother  one  day  an  1  said, 
“  Maudie  is  not  going  to  stay;  she  is  going  away  off 
to  be  buried  up  in  the  cold  ground.”  About  a  week 
later,  she  said,  “  Let  Maudie  go  and  ride  with  you 
to-day,  for  she  will  never  go  again.”  On  the  morning 
of  the  day  of  her  deatli,  she  came  to  her  mother  and 
said,  “Maudie  don't  feel  well.  Don’t  you  feel  sorry 
for  Maudie  ?  She  is  going  away  off  where  you  will 
never  see  her  again.”  Her  mother  clasped  her  to  her 
bosom,  wondering  what  she  could  mean,  but  was  not 
long  left  in  doubt.  The  child  grew  seriously  ill,  and 
later  in  the  day  she  said,  “  Good-bye — lift  me  up — I 


140 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


hear  the  band  playing — I  am  going  now,  ”  and  passed 
away. 

Prince  Leopold’s  Bream. — Another  instance,  im¬ 
portant  in  consequence  of  the  noble  station  of  the 
person  to  whom  it  relates,  is  given  in  the  Fortnightly 
Review,  by  W.  H.  Myers : 

“The  last  time  I  saw  Prince  Leopold  (being  two 
days  before  he  died),  he  would  talk  to  me  about 
death,  and  said  he  would  like  a  military  funeral. 

“  Finally  I  asked,  ‘why  do  you  talk  in  this  morose 
manner  ?  ’  Ashe  was  about  to  answer,  he  was  called 
away  and  said,  ‘I  will  tell  you  later.’  I  never  saw 
him  to  speak  to  again,  but  he  finished  his  answer  to 
me  to  a  lady,  and  said  :  ‘  Two  nights  now,  Princess 
Alice  has  appeared  to  me  in  my  dreams,  and  says 
she  is  quite  happy  and  wants  me  to  come  and  join 
her ;  that  is  what  makes  me  so  very  thoughtful.’ 

“I  take  this  to  be  a  sign  of  his  approaching  removal 
to  the  world  of  spirits,  in  which,  as  a  member  of  a 
Spiritualistic  family,  he  has  been,  from  his  earliest 
youth,  an  implicit  believer,  thus  illustrating  the  truth 
of  the  observation,  that,  ‘Signs  are  vouchsafed  to 
the  believing,  now,  as  of  old.  ”  ’ 

Another  Case. — Miss  Mary  Paine,  when  on  her  way 
to  visit  some  friends  in  Gainesville,  Ga. ,  on  passing 
the  Mars  Hill  Graveyard,  ordered  her  driver  to  stop 
the  team,  which  he  did.  Then  she  exacted  a  promise 
from  him  that  he  would  bring  her  back  and  bury 
her  by  the  side  of  her  sister  Jane.  “For,  ”  said  she, 
“  I  shall  never  come  back  alive.  I  shall  die  away 
from  home,  and  I  want  you  to  promise  to  bring  me 
back  for  burial.”  To  this  declaration  she  clung,  nor 
would  she  be  persuaded  that,  as  she  was  in  good 
health  she  would  have  a  pleasant  visit  and  return 


THE  INTERIOR  IMPRESSION, 


141 


home  happy.  Before  three  weeks  had  passed  she 
died  of  a  congestive  chill,  at  her  friend’s  house  in 
Gainesville,  and  as  she  had  requested,  was  brought 
hack  to  Mars  Hill  and  buried  by  the  side  of  her  dear 
sister. 

Dr.  H - ,  who  is  of  exceedingly  skeptical  or¬ 

ganization,  said  that  he  once  had  an  experience 
which  baffled  his  powers  of  explanation,  and  caused 
him  to  doubt  his  materialistic  views.  He  had  been 
called  to  a  distant  farm-house  on  an  intensely  dark 
and  stormy  night  to  visit  a  patient.  There  was  a 
stream  with  wide  marshy  borders,  across  which  a 
narrow  causeway  had  been  constructed,  barely  wide 
enough  for  carriages  to  pass.  As  he  drove  onto  one 
end  of  this  narrow  way,  suddenly  there  came  the 
thought  that  he  would  meet  a  runaway  team,  and  his 
horse  and  carriage  be  overturned  into  the  morass. 
At  that  tune  of  night  this  was  wholly  improbable  ; 
but  the  thought  came  to  him  instantly  with  all  its 
contingencies.  “If  I  should  meet  a  team,  what  shall 
I  do  ?  ”  he  asked  himself.  Then  he  thought  there 
was  one  place  wider  than  the  rest,  and  he  answered, 
“  I  would  reach  that  place  and  get  as  far  out  of  the 
way  as  possible.”  “  Get  there,  then ;  get  there,”  was 
the  urgent  impression.  He  involuntarily  hurried 
his  horse,  reached  the  place,  and,  driving  to  the  very 
edge,  drew  rein.  He  was  in  a  tremor  of  nervous 
excitement,  yet  had  seen  nor  heard  nothing  to  ex¬ 
cite  him  more  than  the  interior  impression.  But  he 
soon  found  his  haste  had  not  been  in  vain.  He 
heard  the  rattle  of  wheels  and  clatter  of  hoofs,  as 
a  runaway  team  struck  the  further  end  of  the  cause¬ 
way,  and  in  a  moment  they  swept  past  him.  Had 
they  met  him  unprepared,  he  certainly  would  have 
met  with  a  serious,  if  not  fatal,  accident.  This  in¬ 
telligence  which  saw  the  approaching  team  and  the 


142 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


great  danger  in  which  Dr.  H.  would  be  placed,  was 
independent  of  his  mind,  for  it  brought  a  knowledge 
that  mind  did  not,  nor  could  not  know  until  re¬ 
vealed  by  some  foreign  power.  Whence  came  the 
premonition,  the  thoughtful  care  ?  Not  out  of  the 
air.  It  was  from  an  intelligent,  individualized  en¬ 
tity  above  and  beyond  physical  existence;  and  all 
theories  which  leave  out  this  element  fall  short  of 
covering  the  multitudinous  facts  which  unite  and 
bind  them  together  in  a  harmonious  whole. 

Seen  at  His  Funeral. — Dr.  John  E.  Purdon,  now 
of  Valley  Head,  Ala.,  is  authority  for  the  following 
narrative,  which  records  the  appearance  of  a  soldier 
soon  after  his  death,  and  may  be  taken  as  evidence 
of  the  sensitiveness  on  one  side,  and  of  the  reality 
of  the  existence  of  the  appearance  on  the  other: 

“In  the  year  1872,  while  in  charge  of  the  con¬ 
valescent  hospital,  Sandown,  Isle  of  Wight,  I  re¬ 
turned  from  a  short  visit  to  London,  bringing  with 
me  for  change  and  rest  Miss  Florence  Cook,  who 
afterwards  became  so  celebrated  a  medium.  On  the 
evening  of  my  return  home,  I  took  a  walk  with  Miss 
Cook  along  the  cliffs  towards  Shanklin.  During  the 
walk  she  drew  my  attention  to  a  soldier  who  seemed 
to  her  to  be  behaving  in  a  curious  way,  turning 
round  and  staring  at  me,  and  omitting  the  usual 
military  salute  which  she  had  noticed  the  other  men 
give  as  they  passed  by.  As  I  could  see  no  one  at 
the  time  my  curiosity  was  excited,  and  when  she 
said  the  man  had  passed  a  stile  just  in  front  of  us, 

I  crossed  over  and  looked  carefully  about.  No  sol¬ 
dier  was  in  sight ;  on  one  side  was  an  open  field ;  on 
the  other,  perpendicular  cliffs.  I  asked  a  country 
man  at  work  in  the  field  if  he  had  seen  a  soldier  pass 
just  before  I  appeared,  but  he  had  not. 


APPEARANCE  AFTER  DEATH. 


143 


“  On  my  return  from  town  I  found  that  a  certain 
chronic  patient  who  had  been  a  long  time  in  the  hos¬ 
pital,  and  on  whom  I  had  performed  a  minor  surgical 
operation  some  time  before,  had  died  of  pulmonary 
consumption. 

“Miss  Cook  and  another  young  lady  on  a  visit  to 
my  wife,  never  having  seen  a  military  funeral,  per¬ 
suaded  her  to  take  them  to  a  cross-road,  where  they 
would  see  the  troops  pass  without  being  seen  them¬ 
selves.  As  we  marched  past,  the  coffin  being  carried 
on  a  gun-carriage.  Miss  Cook  said  to  my  wife,  ‘  Why 
is  the  little  man  in  front  dressed  differently  from  the 
other  soldier  ?’  My  wife  answered  that  she  could  not 
see  any  one  in  front,  nor  could  the  other  girl  either. 
Miss  Cook  then  said,  ‘  Why  does  he  not  wear  a  big 
hat  like  the  others  ?  He  has  on  a  small  cap  and  is 
holding  his  head  down.’  They  then  returned  home, 
and  the  funeral  party  passed  on  to  the  graveyard 
which  was  two  miles  from  the  hospital.  Just  after 
the  firing  party  had  fallen  in  to  march  home,  Hospital 
Sergeant  Malandine  came  up  to  me  in  the  graveyard 
and  said :  ‘  Private  Edwards  reports  sick,  sir,  and 
asks  permission  to  return  by  train.’  I  asked  what 
was  the  matter,  and  the  sergeant  answered  that  Ed¬ 
wards  had  had  a  great  fright  from  seeing  the  man 
we  were  burying  looking  down  into  his  own  grave 
at  the  coffin  before  it  was  covered  by  the  clay  !  ” 

Appearance  After  Death. — Light ,  a  journal  that 
exercises  great  discretion  in  the  facts  it  publishes,  • 
vouches  for  the  following  appearance  coincident 
with  death,  received  from  Mr.  E.  J.  Teall : 

“In  the  year  1884  my  son  Walter  was  serving  in 
the  Soudan,  in  the  3d  King’s  Royal  Rifles.  The  last 
we  heard  from  him  was  a  letter  informing  us  that 
he  expected  to  return  to  England  about  Christmas 


144 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


time.  On  October  24th  I  returned  home  in  the 
evening,  and  noticing  my  wife  looking  very  white, 
I  said,  ‘What  is  the  matter  with  you?’  She  said 
she  had  seen  Walter,  and  he  had  stooped  down  to 
kiss  her,  but,  owing  to  her  starting,  he  was  gone;  so 
she  did  not  receive  the  kiss.  He  was  in  his  regi¬ 
mentals,  and  she  thought  he  had  come  on  furlough, 
to  take  her  by  surprise,  knowing  the  back  way;  but 
when  she  saw  he  was  gone  and  the  door  not  open, 
she  became  dreadfully  frightened.  My  son  Fred¬ 
erick  and  daughters  Selina  and  Nellie  were  in  the 
room,  but  none  of  them  saw  Walter;  only  Fred 
heard  his  mother  scream,  ‘Oh  !’  and  asked  her  what 
was  the  matter. 

“I  thought,  having  heard  many  tales  of  thi&kind, 
that  I  would  jot  it  down,  so  I  put  the  date  on  a  slip 
of  paper.  After  that  we  had  a  letter  from  the  lady 
nurse  of  the  Ramleli  Hospital,  in  Egypt,  to  say  that 
the  poor  boy  had  suffered  a  third  relapse  of  enteric 
fever.  They  thought  that  he  would  have  pulled 
through,  but  he  was  taken.  When  we  got  the  letter 
it  was  a  week  after  he  died;  but  the  date  when  the 
letter  was  written  corresponded  with  the  day  Wal¬ 
ter  appeared,  which  was  on  October  24th,  1884.  My 
wife  never  got  over  the  shock,  but  brooded  over 
it,  and  finally  died  April  29th,  1886,  of  mental  de¬ 
rangement.” 

Forewarning.— Miss  Lena  Harman,  as  reported  in 
the  Globe-Democrat,  is  authority  for  a  most  in¬ 
structive  narrative  of  ghastly  interference  in  the 
affairs  of  men,  which  forms  another  link  in  the 
chain  of  evidence  showing  that  there  is  a  spirit- 
world  interested  in  the  events  of  this.  Miss  Har¬ 
man  was  a  warm  friend  of  Mrs.  Lena  Reich,  who 
was  foully  murdered  by  her  husband  in  N ew  Y  ork. 


FOREWARNING. 


145 


She  had  not  seen  her  for  several  months  prior  to  her 
death,  but  the  last  time  she  met  her,  Mrs.  Reich  told 
her  a  pitiful  story  of  her  husband’s  abuse,  and  'said 
she  ought  not  to  have  married  him  for  she  had  been 
forewarned.  She  had  been  obliged  to  have  him 
bound  over  to  keep  the  peace,  and  knew  he  would 
yet  kill  her.  The  warning  came  before  she  was 
married,  even  before  their  engagement.  In  her 
own  words  it  happened  this  way.  “Adolph  had 
been  courting  me  for  some  time,  and  I  knew  that 
I  loved  him.  One  night,  a  terrible  dark,  storm¬ 
ing  winter  night,  he  told  me  that  he  loved  me, 
and  offered  himself  to  me.  I  acknowledged  that  I 
was  not  indifferent  to  him,  but  asked  a  few  days 
to  think  over  the  matter  and  consult  my  friends. 
Adolpli  did  not  like  this  delay,  and  tried  to  reason  me 
out  of  it,  but  I  was  firm  and  carried  my  point.  Well, 
we  sat  up  very  late  that  night  together,  no  one  else 
but  ourselves  being  in  the  room.  When  he  finally 
left  it  was  past  midnight,  and  the  weather  was  very 
cold,  so  I  fixed  up  the  fire  to  make  me  a  cup  of  tea  to 
quiet  my  nerves,  and  warm  me  up  before  going  to 
bed.  I  was  a  little  sorry  I  had  been  so  positive  to 
Adolph  about  the  time,  as  I  loved  him  and  I  thought 
I  might  as  well  say  yes,  any  way,  so  that  he  would 
have  gone  home  so  much  happier. 

“  As  I  poured  out  my  cup  of  tea  I  said  aloud  to  my¬ 
self,  ‘Yes,  I  love  Adolph.’  Just  then  I  heard  a  noise 
on  the  stairs,  and,  thinking  some  one  was  going  by 
my  door,  I  turned  off  the  gas,  because  I  did  not  want 
any  one  to  know  I  was  keeping  such  late  hours.  As 
the  fire  in  the  stove  gave  out  a  ruddy  light,  and  the 
half-darkness  of  the  room  seemed  so  peaceful,  and 
suited  my  mood  of  mind  so  well,  I  did  not  light  the 
gas  again,  but  sat  and  sipped  my  tea  in  the  darkness, 
saying  little  things  to  myself  aloud.  Suddenly,  how- 


146 


AN  INTELLIGENT  FORCE. 


ever,  I  heard  a  slight  noise  behind  me,  and  at  the 
same  time  I  heard  a  church  clock,  strike  the  hour  of 
one‘.  Well,  I  looked  around  without  a  thought  of 
anything  strange,  and  saw  my  Ernest,  to  whom  I 
had  been  previously  engaged,  and  who  died  before 
the  ceremony,  almost  at  the  altar.  He  was  dressed 
in  the  same  clothes  as  when  I  saw  him  last — his 
wedding  suit— for  we  were  going  to  our  wedding 
when  he  died  of  heart  disease. 

“  I  shrieked  and  tried  to  fly  from  my  room,  but  he 
spoke :  ‘  Do  not  move,  Lena ;  I  will  not  harm  you. 
I  come  because  I  love  you,  and  because  I  pity  you. 
Lena,  if  you  marry  Adolph  Reich  you  will  lead  the 
life  of  a  dog.  He  will  be  cruel  and  jealous,  and  un¬ 
reasonable,  and,  worse  than  all,  he  will  murder  you 
in  the  end.  Yes,  he  will  murder  you  !  Stay  !  I  see 
the  scene  now!  He  grasps  your  hair;  he  holds  a 
sharp  carving  knife  in  the  other  hand ;  you  reach  out 
for  the  knife  and  seize  it,  when,  with  a  terrible  oath, 
he  draws  the  keen  blade  out  of  your  grasp,  and  al¬ 
most  severs  your  fingers  in  doing  so  !  Oh  !  he  has 
you  down  on  the  bed;  he  draws  the  knife;  you 
struggle  and  scream.  He  strikes  the  blade  into  your 
neck! — your  beautiful  neck;  you  struggle  more 
violently  and  escape.  With  the  blood  spurting  from 
your  wound,  you  run  from  the  room  and  fall  in  the 
hall ;  and  the  villian  escapes,  carrying  the  knife 
with  him  !  Oh,  terrible  !  terrible  !  ’  Then  there  was 
a  silence ;  Ernest  said  no  more  for  some  minutes, 
and  I  was  too  much  horrified  to  speak ;  but  again 
he  said  :  ‘  Lena,  I  love  you  as  much  as  I  ever  did, 
and  it  won’t  be  long  now  before  you  join  me  here, 
and  we  shall  be  happy  again.  Oh,  do  not  marry 
Reich,  as  you  value  your  life  and  soul !  Farewell ! 
God  keep  you  !  ’  and  he  was  gone  !  ” 

The  warning  was  fulfilled  to  the  letter.  After  the 


EFFECTS  OF  PHYSICAL  INFLUENCES. 


147 


infliction  of  the  terrible  wound  which  caused  her 
death  ;  he  had  crawled  out  of  her  room,  and  fell  in 
the  hall  from  the  loss  of  blood.  How  many  similar 
warnings  pass  unheeded,  and  yet  how  greatly  might 
the  recipients  be  benefited  by  heeding  them  ! 


Effects  of  Physical  Influences  on  the 
Sensitive. 


Individuals  who  are  influenced  to  an  unusual  ex¬ 
tent  by  their  surroundings,  are  regarded  as  nervous, 
—a  name  covering  a  multitude  of  ills  for  which  no 
other  term  is  at  command.  A  cat  entering  the  room, 
however  stealthily,  in  some  awakes  the  most  dis¬ 
agreeable  feelings.  Another  is  so  sensitive  to  the 
electric  state  of  the  weather  as  to  presage  the  com¬ 
ing  storm  several  hours  or  days  in  advance.  Sun¬ 
day  is  so  called  because  of  its  supposed  connection 
with  the  phases  of  the  moon.  The  superstitious 
observation  of  the  Signs  arises  from  the  dull  under¬ 
standing  or  ignorance  of  this  influence.  That  man 
is  a  magnet,  and  has  polarity  corresponding  to  that 
of  the  earth,  is  a  plausible  conjecture,  which  receives 
confirmation  by  the  influence  of  the  earth  currents 
on  many  forms  of  disease.  Some  patients  are  so  ex¬ 
ceedingly  sensitive  that  they  can  lie  at  ease  in  no 
other  position  than  with  their  heads  to  the  north; 
and  it  has  been  argued  that  if  such  position  is  best 
for  the  sensitive  it  is  for  all. 

More  especially  is  the  influence  of  physical  forces 
seen  when  death  occurs  after  a  lingering  disease, 


148  EFFECTS  OF  PHYSICAL  INFLUENCES. 

which,  by  reducing  the  bodily  strength,  makes  that 
of  the  spirit  more  susceptible. 

“  He's  going  out  with  the  tide,”  is  the  common 
expression  of  all  the  rough  coastwise  people.  It  may 
be  called  a  superstition  of  sea-faring  races  ;  but  it  is 
a  fact  that  for  some  inscrutable  reason  the  old,  sick 
and  infirm  more  often  die  at  the  ebb-tide  than  when 
the  tide  is  rising.  A  poet  beautifully  expresses  this 
belief : 

“  When  the  tide  goes  out  he  will  pass  away, 

Pray  for  a  soul’s  serene  release  ! 

That  the  weary  spirit  may  rest  in  peace. 

When  the  tide  goes  out.” 

A  physician  on  the  Connecticut  coast,  who  had 
made  special  observations,  said:  “for  more  than 
thirty  years  I  have  lived  and  observed  among  the 
rough,  hardy  souls  hereabout ;  and  for  more  than 
fifty  my  father  before  me  gathered  facts  and  wisdom 
from  practice.  I  have  stood  by  hundreds  of  death¬ 
beds  of  fishermen  and  farmers,  old  and  young,  dur¬ 
ing  the  last  quarter  of  a  century ;  but  I  can  hardly 
recall  a  single  instance  of  a  person  dying  of  disease, 
who  did  not  pass  away  while  the  tide  was  ebbing.  It 
is  a  fact  that  in  critical  cases  I  never  feel  concerned 
to  leave  a  patient  for  an  hour  or  two  when  the  tide 
is  coming  in  ;  but  when  it  is  receding,  and  particu¬ 
larly  in  the  latter  stages  of  the  ebb,  I  stay  by,  if  I 
can,  till  the  turn  comes.  You'll  scarcely  credit  it, 
but  the  daily  record  of  the  tides  is  the  most  import-  * 
ant  part  of  the  almanac  in  my  practice.  If  a  patient 
who  is  very  low  lives  to  see  the  current  turn  from 
ebb  to  flow,  I  know  the  case  is  safe  till  the  ebb  sets 
in  again.” 

“  When  the  tide  comes  in  death  waits  for  dole, 

When  the  tide  ebbs  it  takes  a  soul.” 


GOING  OUT  WITH  THE  TIDE. 


149 


Francis  Gerry  Fairchild  says  that  during  five 
years  he  noted  the  hour  and  minute  of  ninety-three 
demises,  and  of  these  all  but  four  (who  died  of  acci¬ 
dents)  went  out  with  the  ebb  of  the  tide.  In  his  own 
words:  “I  who  have  sat  with  my  fingers  on  the  wrist 
of  many  a  feeble  patient,  and  noticed  the  pulse  rise 
and  strengthen,  or  sink  and  vanish,  with  the  turn¬ 
ing  of  the  tide,  know  that  it  is  fact.” 

Of  twenty-one  cases  of  death  registered  on  the  sea 
coast  of  Long  Island  at  Orient,  by  Capt.  D.  B.  Ed¬ 
wards,  I  find,  by  careful  examination,  that  with  only 
one  exception,  the  aged,  or  those  who  had  been  suf¬ 
fering  from  long  sickness,  died  at  the  ebb  of  the  tide. 
These  cases  were  taken  as  they  came,  and  afford  an 
average  that  may  be  depended  upon. 

Not  that  the  coming  and  going  of  the  ocean  wave  as 
it  rolls  round  the  world  has  special  influence.  The 
cause  is  more  profound,  and  blended  with  the  force 
of  gravitation.  Not  only  is  the  ocean  agitated  and 
piled  up  beneath  the  moon ;  the  deeper  and  more 
elastic  aerial  sea  is  more  strongly  fluctuated,  and 
the  electric  and  magnetic  conditions  change  with 
certain  periodicity.  The  maximum  of  positive  force 
is  attained  at  high  tide,  constantly  increasing  as  the 
tide  comes  in,  and  then  recedes  to  the  zero  of  nega¬ 
tiveness  with  its  outgoing.  With  the  flood  of  water, 
and  higher  pressure  of  atmosphere,  the  forces  of 
life  are  stimulated  by  the  increasing  positiveness. 
When  these  stimulants  withdraw,  the  tide  runs  to 
the  negative  pole,  and  a  soul  ebbs  from  the  mortal 
shore.  Man  is  sensitive  to  the  influences  of  the  sun 
and  moon,  and  to  the  stars. 

The  influence  of  the  moon  in  cases  of  lunacy  has 
been  observed  from  ancient  times,  and  a  lunar 
month  measures  the  cycle  of  changes  in  most  cases 
of  madness. 


150  EFFECTS  OF  PHYSICAL  INFLUENCES. 


During1  health  these  subtle  changes  are  not  felt,  or 
too  feebly  to  be  remarked.  It  is  during  sickness, 
when  the  physical  energies  are  so  enfeebled  that 
slight  forces  turn  the  balance  for  or  against,  that 
the  most  palpable  effects  are  produced.  There  are  . 
moon-tides  and  sun-tides  in  the  ocean  and  in  the  air. 
Sometimes  these  augment,  at  others  depress  each 
other.  The  magnetic  disturbances  are  much  greater 
at  times  than  others ;  hence  the  subject  is  compli¬ 
cated  ;  but  when  investigated  it  will  be  shown  that 
there  is  co-operation  between  vital  force  and  the 
energies  of  nature. 

A  spirit  is  a  harp  attuned  to  respond  to  the  touch 
of  myriad  forces.  It  is  placed  in  the  center  of  these 
multitudinous  energies,  coming  in  from  every  direc¬ 
tion.  It  is  sensitive  to  the  touch  of  the  sun,  the 
moon  and  the  planets,  and  to  that  of  the  farthest 
star  that  twinkles  on  the  verge  of  the  Milky  Way; 
not  in  the  sense  of  astrology,  but  in  as  faithful  a 
manner.  If  the  magnetic  needle  trembles  because  of 
a  spot  in  the  sun ;  if  the  magnetic  currents  of  the 
earth  are  disturbed  by  activity  of  the  solar  disc,  can 
we  for  a  moment  doubt  but  the  more  delicately 
ethereal  spiritual  perception  will  feel  such  disturb¬ 
ances  ?  The  sweet  influence  of  the  Pleiades  has 
more  than  poetic  meaning,  and  the  cold  light  of  the 
moon  brings  on  its  beams  the  breath  of  love. 

It  is  well  known  that  many  diseases  are  aggra¬ 
vated  by  the  approach  of  night,  while  others  are 
most  severe  during  the  day.  All  nervous  pains  be¬ 
come  intensified  at  the  approach  of  night — a  fact  ad¬ 
mitted,  but  referred  by  material  science  to  the  imagi¬ 
nation,  the  fancy  having  free  reign  during  the  silent 
hours  of  darkness.  During  the  day,  the  half  of  the 
earth  illuminated  is  positive  to  the  other  unillumi¬ 
nated  hemisphere.  Hence  the  sensations  of  evening 


UNCONSCIOUS  SENSITIVENESS. 


151 


are  different  from  those  of  morning.  We  have  en¬ 
joyed  the  light  and  been  positive  during  the  day ; 
when  night  advances,  we  become  passive  in  the  en¬ 
veloping  darkness,  and  enter  a  state  twin  sister  to 
death,  to  arise  in  the  morning  again  to  meet  the 
positive  day. 

Sleep  during  the  night  is  more  restoring  than  dur¬ 
ing  the  day — a  distinction  recognized  by  animals 
and  plants.  Night  is  no  more  terrible  than  day,  yet 
the  mind,  oppressed  by  the  negative  condition  then 
imposed  on  all  things,  peoples  it  with  fancies.  The 
hour  of  midnight  is  the  established  season  for 
ghostly  appearances.  He  who  boldly  walks  along 
the  churchyard  path  at  noonday,  would  fain  whistle 
to  keep  his  courage  up  at  the  hour  of  midnight. 
Even  Haeckel,  the  great  naturalist,  confesses  that  as 
the  evening  fell  on  him,  while  alone  on  the  extreme 
point  of  Ceylon,  and  the  shadows  deepened  on  the 
weird  forest  and  lonely  sea,  an  “  uncanny  "  feeling 
crept  over  him. 

And  the  soul  moves  in  the  circle  of  the  seasons  ; 
not  only  has  human  life  its  Spring,  Summer,  Autumn, 
and  Winter;  in  the  long  three  score  years  and  ten,  it 
swings  through  this  circle  with  each  succeeding  pro¬ 
cession  of  seasons,  and  experiences  the  changing 
impressions  they  so  rapidly  bring. 


Unconscious  Sensitiveness. 


Silence  ami  Receptivity. — I  sit  down  with  the 
friend  of  my  heart,  and  neither  speak  a  word ;  we 
visit  in  close  communion  of  souls,  in  silence;  spoken 
words  would  be  only  jarring  discord.  The  shallow 


152 


UNCONSCIOUS  SEN  SIT  I  YEN  ESS. 


mind  is  supplied  with  a  wind  of  words :  like  a  diction¬ 
ary  he  is  all  words,  but  without  a  thought.  The  high¬ 
est  thought,  the  most  profound  feelings,  are  beyond 
the  sphere  of  speech. 

The  restless  wind  is  ever  sighing;  the  restless, 
unbalanced  soul  is  ever  chattering  its  half-formed 
thoughts.  The  shallow  brook  splashes  and  dashes 
over  its  bed  with  noisy  tongue;  the  deep  river  flows 
onward  without  a  ripple  on  its  broad  surface  to  tell 
of  its  tremendous  power. 

If  we  would  learn  of  nature  we  must  retire  to  her 
solitudes  and  let  no  one  intrude.  The  dearest  and 
nearest  may  draw  with  well  meaning  hands  an 
opaque  vail  between  us  and  the  sun.  In  the  solitude 
of  the  foi-est,  by  the  shores  of  the  sullen  sea,  and  in 
the  depths  of  star-lit  night,  we  rest  as  dwarfs,  over¬ 
powered  by  the  stupendous  elements,  yet  the  center 
of  all  forces  and  phenomena.  We  are  in  the  vortex 
of  creative  energies,  and  if  we  silently  question,  the 
answers  fall  as  soon  as  our  minds  are  receptive  to 
them.  In  its  adoration  of  the  boundless,  the  soul 
mirrors  its  own  infinitude.  The  shoreless  expanse 
of  sea,  with  sky  and  wave  blending,  lost  in  mist,  in 
the  never-reached  horizon ;  the  depths  of  stars,  be¬ 
yond  and  beyond,  in  vistas  leading  out  into  absolute 
void,  beyond  all  created  things — to  such  the  soul 
acknowledges  kinship,  and  in  them  finds  its  satis¬ 
faction.  The  thoughts  of  the  stars  are  untongued, 
but  they  vibrate  across  the  limitless  ether,  and  are 
eloquent  to  the  receptive  mind. 

Immeasurably  more  needful  of  receptivity  born  of 
silence,  is  the  contact  with  the  infinite  realm  of  spirit. 
The  ocean  of  being,  invisible,  is  before  us.  We  may 
not  dictate,  nor  with  blatant  cry  make  demands. 
We  shall  be  grateful  for  a  grain  of  manna  from  the 
heavenly  skies ;  we  may  gather  a  full  repast.  As 


THE  EDUCATION  OF  RECEPTIVITY. 


153 


spiritual  beings,  into  the  warp  and  woof  of  whose 
existence  enter  the  strands  of  immortal  life,  we  are 
capable  of  comprehending  the  laws  of  this  unseen, 
and  heretofore  unknown  universe.  As  suns  are  puls¬ 
ating  centers  of  light,  spiritual  beings  are  pulsating 
centers  of  thought,  and  as  light  waves  go  out  cir¬ 
cling  until  lost  on  the  remotest  coast  line  of  the  uni¬ 
verse,  so  thought-waves  go  out  from  the  thinking 
mind,  and  are  caught  Up  by  all  minds  receptive  to 
them. 

By  the  sea,  the  soul  sees  the  inner  world  expressed 
by  a  series  of  changing  pictures.  The  ships  sailing 
from  harbor,  with  all  their  white  sails  set,  and  bent 
to  the  breeze  which  wafts  them  into  the  gray  mist 
until  lost  to  view,  express  the  voyage  of  human  be¬ 
ings.  The  white  birds,  with  flapping  wings,  are  the 
purposeless  spirits  of  the  air.  The  stars,  what  con¬ 
solation  they  have  given  the  wretched  in  long  ages 
of  suffering,  by  their  eternal  placidity,  their  quiet¬ 
ude  from  the  feverish  follies  which  we  know  intui¬ 
tively  belong  to  a  lower  life. 

The  truly  receptive  mind  is  least  alone  when  alone. 
Then  it  becomes  the  headland  against  which  beat 
the  waves  of  thought  from  every  thinking  being  in 
the  universe.  Like  the  telegraph  receiver,  it  picks 
out  the  thoughts  to  which  it  is  sensitive,  and  the 
others  go  on  to  those  receptive  to  them.  It  thus  be¬ 
comes  apparent  that  there  can  be  an  education  super¬ 
ior  to  all  others;  the  education  of  receptivity,  or  sensi¬ 
tiveness  to  the  thought  atmosphere  or  psychic-ether. 
Not  that  this  can  take  the  place  of  the  ordinary 
training  of  the  faculties,  for  their  training,  rudely 
performed  as  it  is,  often  leads  to  a  high  sensitive¬ 
ness  ;  more  often  leads  away  from  it.  The  poet  is 
most  sensitive  to  poetic  thought,  and  in  this  sense  is 
a  medium,  not  only  for  individual  poets,  but,  per- 


154 


UNCONSCIOUS  SENSITIVENESS. 


haps,  unconsciously,  for  the  inseparable  thoughts  of 
all.  The  truly  great  statesman  receives  influx  from 
the  United  Congress  of  all  past  leaders.  Through 
the  sensitive  preacher,  all  preachers  of  the  past  find 
tongue.  The  man  of  science,  if  successful  in  re¬ 
search,  may  be  praised  for  skill  and  faithfulness,  but 
beyond  these  qualities  are  the  impressions  descend¬ 
ing  from  all  who  think  or  ever  have  thought  on  their 
special  subjects.  There  is  a  sensitiveness  of  organ¬ 
ization,  and  not  of  culture,  which  makes  of  the  pos¬ 
sessor  a  mouth-piece,  an  instrument,  such  as  it  is. 
There  is  a  sensitiveness,  better  here  called  recep¬ 
tivity,  which  comes  of  right  culture,  and  is  the 
highest  form  of  mediumship,  though  its  possessor 
may  be  wholly  unconscious  of  his  gift.”. 

Receptivity  and  Greatness. — Here  and  there  are 
those  who  by  organization  are  sensitive  and  ready 
instruments  to  bless  the  world  with  the  light  of 
higher  spheres.  There  have  been  many  in  the  past 
fifty  years.  Centuries  have  gone  by  and  not  one 
of  these  barren — centuries  during  which  man  re¬ 
mained  stationary  or  retrograded  into  dense  ignor¬ 
ance. 

As  mountain  peaks  catch  the  light  of  morning 
when  all  the  valleys  and  plains  below  are  wrapped 
in  darkness,  so  these  sensitives  arise  into  the  atmos¬ 
phere  of  spirit,  and  bathe  their  foreheads  in  its 
glory. 

Who  should  be  more  sensitive  to  the  urgencies  of 
a  threatened  state  than  he  who  has  the  responsibili¬ 
ties  of  government  ?  Whom  would  the  departed 
statesman,  who,  loving  his  country,  seek  to  im¬ 
press,  if  not  the  ones  in  power,  who  could  make 
such  impressions  available  ?  But  those  in  power 
may  not  be  impressible,  and  this  is  most  unfortuate 


RECEPTIVITY  AND  GREATNESS. 


155 


for  the  state.  They  may  be,  and  then  it  can  be  truth¬ 
fully  said  that  the  forces  of  heaven  fight  its  battles. 

Such  an  one  was  Lincoln.  His  receptive  mind 
responded  to  the  thought  waves  of  the  psychic  at¬ 
mosphere,  and  he  became  the  center  of  a  thought- 
vortex — the  concentration  of  unnumbered  intelli¬ 
gences — with  the  holy  spiritual  fervor  of  the  sage 
and  prophet.  Feeling  himself  called  to  a  mighty 
task,  and  consecrated  to  its  accomplishment,  his 
great  and  earnest  soul  responded  to  the  breath  of 
inspiration.  He  was  misunderstood  by  men  because 
he  acted  from  motives  they  could  not  comprehend, 
and  which  were  uncomprehended  by  himself ;  but 
during  the  years  of  darkness,  anxiety  and  care,  the 
cabinet  on  which  he  relied  was  not  the  executive 
officers,  but  one  formed  of  those  Fathers  of  the  Re¬ 
public,  who,  on  the  hour  of  its  birth,  gave  its  flag 
to  the  breezes  of  heaven.  He  failed  at  times ;  dis¬ 
asters  came,  representing  the  periods  when  the 
clouds  obscured  the  clear  light  of  inspiration.  He 
disregarded  the  impressions  of  impending  danger, 
and  disobedience  sealed  the  record  of  his  labors 
with  his  blood  ! 

Then  in  invention,  the  contrivances  by  which  the 
elements  are  harnessed  and  become  willing  servants, 
we  take  one  man  as  an  illustration.  A  poor  unedu¬ 
cated  country  lad,  with  a  simple  knowledge  of 
telegraphy  sufficient  to  send  messages  over  the 
wires,  that  is  all — no  college  learning,  no  one  to 
assist,  to  direct,  to  advise.  He  soon  entered  a  field 
where  no  mortal  could  advise,  where  no  mortal  had 
been  or  knew  aught  to  advise  him.  He  became 
sensitive,  and  the  secret  chambers  of  the  lightning 
were  unlocked  to  him.  What  to  other  men  who 
had  devoted  a  life-time  of  study  was  obscure  and 
mysterious,  became  to  him  the  ABC  to  higher  read- 


156 


UNCONSCIOUS  SENSITIVENESS. 


ings.  He  sent  his  voice  across  the  continent,  he 
recorded  the  sounds  so  that  the  instrument  would 
in  all  after  years  give  us  back  the  tones  of  those  we 
love;  he  prolonged  the  lightning’s  lurid  flash  into 
a  continuous  blaze,  and  converted  night  into  day ; 
he  made  the  current  leap  from  the  wire  to  the 
passing  train  and  over  an  intangible  wire  from  ship 
to  ship,  across  leagues  of  sea. 

True  Inspiration. — Ole  Bull.— What  is  meant  by 
the  oft-repeated  assertion  that  great  and  exceptional 
persons  are  inspired  ?  More  especially  in  music  and 
poetry  is  the  influx  from  some  foreign  source  dis¬ 
tinctly  marked.  Ole  Bull,  the  king  of  all  violin 
players,  was,  by  his  own  confession,  subject  to  an 
influence  beyond  himself.  When  a  boy,  he  was 
attempting,  unaided,  to  translate  into  musical 
sounds  the  splendor  of  his  ideal,  a  “voice”  en¬ 
couraged  him  constantly  with  “  Bravo!”  which  he 
accepted  as  a  sign  that  he  was  doing  well.  Unlike 
Socrates’  “  demon,”  instead  of  being  always  the 
same,  it  was  that  of  many  celebrated  musicians.  On 
one  occasion,  the  voice  of  Handel  murmured  in  his 
ear  after  a  rendition  of  that  composer’s  “  Hallelujah 
Chorus,”  “Only  shadow  music  sung  by  shadows.” 
“My  soul  asked,  ‘Where,  then,  is  the  substance, 
Master?’”  “In  my  world,”  the  voice  replied, 
“where  alone  all  things  are  real,  and  music  is 
the  speech.” 

Paganini. — Of  Paganini  it  was  said  that  he  not 
only  enchanted  his  listeners,  but  played  as  one  en¬ 
chanted,  losing  consciousness,  and  throughout  his 
performances  remained  as  one  entranced.  So  real 
were  musical  conceptions  flashed  on  his  mind,  that 
they  became  objective,  and  danced  before  him  in 
wild  expression  of  rythmic  motion. 


BLIND  TOM.  HANDEL. 


157 


How  far  the  ecstacy  of  all  true  musicians  may 
account  for  their  super-normal  efforts,  depends  on 
the  meaning  accepted  of  ecstacy.  It  really  is  a  state 
of  sensitiveness  to  harmonious  sounds,  which  at  its 
best  differs  little  from  the  most  exalted  form  of 
clairvoyance,  or,  perhaps  better,  clair-audience. 

Blind  Tom. — All  have  heard  of  Blind  Tom,  an 
idiotic  negro,  uncouth,  untaught,  yet  who  was  able 
to  play  the, most  intricate  music,  in  a  manner  only 
attainable  to  others  by  years  of  study  and  practice. 
His  improvisations  were  the  wonder  and  delight  of 
the  listeners,  and  were  dashed  off  with  the  fingers 
of  what  might  truly  have  been  regarded  as  an  au¬ 
tomaton.  By  what  method  could  his  astonishing 
facility  of  execution,  delicacy  of  expression,  and 
masterly  touch  be  explained  ?  He  was  never  taught 
a  lesson  in  music,  was  incapable  of  forming  a  con¬ 
tinuous  train  of  thought ;  yet  no  conservatory  ever 
graduated  a  superior  performer.  We  are  forced 
to  accept  one  of  two  conclusions:  either  that  he  was 
of  himself  superior  to  any  one  in  musical  ability,  or 
that  he  derived  this  gift  from  an  outside  source. 
The  first,  on  the  face  of  it,  appears  an  absurdity. 
He  was  no  more  the  cause  of  the  music  he  pro¬ 
duced  than  was  the  piano  on  which  he  played.  Both 
were  instruments,  he  standing  between  the  force 
and  its  effect.  i 

Handel. — In  the  sphere  of  sacred  music,  perhaps; 
Handel  stands  without  a  peer.  So  far  above  the 
ordinary  level  is  his  sublime  work,  that  he  receives 
not  his  full  mead  of  praise ;  for  we  applaud  most 
that  which  echoes  some  part  of  ourselves,  and  with 
his  strains  we  are  bowed  in  humility  and  awe.  In 
twenty-three  days  he  produced  “The  Messiah,’’  a 


158 


UNCONSCIO  US  SENSITI VUNUSS. 


work  which,  for  vastness  of  conception  and  exqui¬ 
site  finish,  is  the  grandest  and  most  perfect  choral 
work  the  world  has  ever  known.  He  belonged  to 
no  school,  has  no  imitators,  for  he  is  too  far  removed 
for  imitation  to  be  attempted.  Well  has  it  been 
said  that  the  power  of  such  souls  baffles  criticism. 
That  they  tower  so  far  above  the  common  level,  and 
possess  such  exceptional  mental  and  moral  powers, 
leads  to  the  supposition  that  they  touch  a  thought- 
sphere  not  touched  by  those  less  sensitively  en¬ 
dowed. 

Beecher. — This  great  preacher,  who  left  Plymouth 
pulpit  vacant,  a  vacancy  which  never  can  be  filled, 
is  a  fine  illustration  of  these  views. 

The  man  and  his  inspiration  were  constantly 
struggling  for  mastery.  He  would  advance,  on  the 
tide  of  that  inspiration,  to  the  very  brink  of  the 
precipice  of  heterodoxy ;  his  large  heart  and  enthu¬ 
siasm  carrying  him  and  his  hearers  far  beyond  the 
limits  of  their  narrow  creeds,  and  then  recovering 
himself  he  would  recoil,  restate,  explain  and  hedge 
against  the  severity  of  the  criticism  provoked.  But 
constantly  he  gained  ground,  and  carried  his  hear¬ 
ers  with  him.  He  never  retreaded  quite  as  far  as 
he  advanced,  and  in  later  years  the  inspiring  power 
had  educated  the  man  to  its  level,  and  he  bravely 
and  boldly  stood  by  his  words.  For  an  entire  gener¬ 
ation  he  stood  in  his  pulpit,  a  divine  oracle,  every 
Sunday  having  an  audience  of  the  entire  country, 
and  as  an  elevating,  educating  power,  was  immeasur¬ 
able.  He  broke  the  fetters  from  the  slave ;  he  broke 
the  fetters  of  superstition  from  millions,  more  bonds¬ 
men  than  the  negro  slave.  If  you  were  to  gather 
up  all  that  he  has  written  it  would  make  a  library 
of  itself,  and  yet  there  is  little  of  all  that  he  has 


A  MIGHTY  INFLUENCE. 


159 


written  or  spoken  that  has  permanent  value,  or  will 
endure.  Its  value  consisted  not  in  its  enduring  qual¬ 
ities;  rather  in  its  being  tentative ;  steps  leading 
upward,  and  of  no  use  after  once  being  passed  over. 
He  did  not,  he  could  not,  preach  the  ultimate  truth. 
The  laity,  as  a  conservative  force,  restrained  him.  k 
Like  an  eagle  burdened  with  a  great  weight,  he 
carried  his  church  and  the  world  forward,  and  with 
every  new  wave  of  inspiration  the  burden  grew 
lighter,  but  he  never  was  quite  free. 

The  limitation  of  the  individual  always  stands  in 
the  path  of  perfect  inspiration.  He  was  forced  to 
speak  after  the  forms  of  the  creeds  and  beliefs  which 
he  inherited,  and  believed  by  those  he  would  in¬ 
struct.  Those  beliefs  were  perishing,  and  his  modi¬ 
fications  did  not  quite  grasp  the  whole  truth,  and 
hence  must  disappear.  But  through  him  a  mighty 
influence  was  exerted ;  not  such  as  may  be  likened 
to  the  avalanche  which  plunges  down  the  mountain, 
but  like  the  breath  of  spring,  melting  the  snow  and 
ice  of  winter,  warming  the  indurated  soil,  and  mak¬ 
ing  possible  the  bursting  forth  of  flowers,  the  pro¬ 
phecies  of  autumn  fruitage. 

It  is  remarkable  that  few  writers  have  given  the 
world  more  than  one  master-piece,  and  often  a 
single  short  poem,  out  of  a  mass  of  composition,  is 
all  that  remains  of  permanent  value.  Gray’s  “  Ele¬ 
gy”  and  “Sweet  Home”  are  exainples.  The  genius 
which  could  write  these  wonderful  poems  ought  to 
have  been  able  to  write  others  equally  perfect ;  yet 
only  once  did  the  authors  touch  the  pure  fount  of  in¬ 
spiration.  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  HoWe  in  such  a  moment 
wrote  the  “Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic,”  which, 
unlike  anything  ever  before  written,  and  unlike 
anything  else  she  ever  wrote,  became  the  march¬ 
ing  song  of  a  nation  along  th'e  pathway  of  justice. 


160 


UNCONSCIOUS  SENSITIVENESS. 


Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  wrote  before  and 
after  the  production  of  “  Uncle  Tom’s  Cabin,  ”  works 
of  some  merit,  but  nothing  that  approached  the  won¬ 
derful  story  that  did  more  to  arouse  the  nation  to  the 
wrongs  of  slavery  than  all  other  influences  combined. 
According  to  her  own  words,  she  composed  in  a 
state  in  which  she  was  overwhelmed  with  the  subject 
and  forced  to  write  as  she  did. 

Dickens  entered  the  same  state,  and  with  such  dis¬ 
tinctness  were  his  characters  brought  before  him,  that 
he  heard  their  voices,  and  his  dialogues  were  the 
work  of  a  reporter  rather  than  of  a  composer. 

Bunyan. — Perhaps  no  book  ever  exerted  a  greater 
influence  than  “Pilgrim’s  Progress,”  written  by  one 
who  in  his  youth  was  wild  and  godless,  a  tramping 
tinker  and  rough  soldier,  uneducated  and  unversed 
in  literary  invention.  He  possessed  in  a  prominent 
degree  the  sensitive  temperament,  as  his  portrait 
shows,  and  a  fine  mental  endowment,  however  un¬ 
cultivated  it  might  have  been.  So  long  as  Bunyan 
was  a  part  of  the  jostling  world,  he  was  like  other 
men.  His  sensitiveness  could  only  be  made  valu¬ 
able  by  isolation,  and  that  came  to  him  in  an  un¬ 
looked  for  manner  by  his  incarceration  in  jail. 
There  his  spirit  gained  freedom.  It  became  sus¬ 
ceptible  to  the  thoughts  of  another  sphere,  and  he 
wrote  that  remarkable  book,  which  has  pleased  and 
strengthened  millions  of  struggling  souls.  After¬ 
wards,  when  liberated,  he  became  one  of  the  fanat¬ 
ics  among  whom  he  was  cast,  and  his  writings  and 
speech  were  of  no  value,  except  as  they  faintly 
echoed  what  he  had  written  in  his  “Pilgrim.”  Once 
only  had  the  conditions  essential  to  sensitiveness  been 
his,  and  then  it  was  forced  upon  him,  and  the  result 


GREAT  LEADERS  IE  HISTORY. 


161 


was  one  book  of  value,  and  no  more.  The  success 
of  that  book  destroyed  the  conditions  for  the  recep¬ 
tion  of  anything  as  pure,  bringing  around  him  the 
jarring  conflict  of  religious  fanaticism. 

Tennyson. — The  sensitive  condition  of  Tennyson 
has  been  graphically  described  by  himself,  in  words 
which  leave  no  misunderstanding.  In  a  letter  writ¬ 
ten  in  1874  to  a  friend,  he  says:  “I  have  never  had 
any  revelation  through  anesthetics,  but  a  kind  of 
waking  trance  (this  for  want  of  a  better  term)  I 
have  frequently  had,  quite  up  from  boyhood,  when  I 
have  been  all  alone.  This  has  often  come  upon  me 
through  repeating  my  own  name  to  myself  silently 
till,  all  at  once,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  intensity  of  the 
consciousness  of  the  individuality,  the  individuality 
itself  seemed  to  dissolve  and  fade  away  into  bound¬ 
less  being  ;  and  this  is  not  a  composed  state,  but  the 
clearest  of  the  clearest,  the  surest  of  the  surest, 
utterly  beyond  words,  where  Death  was  an  almost 
laughable  impossibility,  the  loss  of  personality,  (if 
so  it  were)  seeming  no  extinction,  but  the  only  true 
life.  “  I  am  ashamed  of  my  feeble  description.  Have 
I  not  said  the  state  was  utterly  beyond  words  ?” 

Illustrations  to  an  unlimited  extent  might  be  drawn 
from  the  lives  of  authors,  artists,  inventors,  statesmen 
and  warriors,  in  confirmation  of  the  views  expressed. 

In  fact,  scarcely  a  single  one  of  all  the  brilliant 
names  that  head  the  list  on  the  scroll  of  fame  but 
might  be  taken  as  an  example. 

The  Great  Leaders  in  history,  statesmanship,  war, 
literature,  the  arts,  in  science  and  in  invention, 
few  in  number,  appear  like  centers  on  whom  the 
thoughts  of  their  time  converge,  and  from  whom 
they  are  radiated.  They  are  moved  by  forces  beyond 


162 


UNCONSCIOUS  SENSITIVENESS. 


themselves,  and  plan  wiser  than  they  know.  Na¬ 
poleon  schemed  for  his  own  aggrandizement,  but 
above  him  was  a  power  which  directed  his  efforts. 
The  art  of  war  was  an  open  book  to  him,  and  his 
tactics,  the  fresh  product  of  his  teeming  brain,  were 
a  constant  surprise  and  menace  to  his  enemies. 
Until  his  mission  was  accomplished  he  was  invinci¬ 
ble.  When  he  transcended  that,  which  was  to  break 
down  the  absurd  distinctions  of  feudalism,  and  make 
the  serf  a  man,  and  in  arrogant  pride  looked  on  the 
nations  as  his  prey,  the  conditions  of  his  receptivity 
were  destroyed  and  his  defeat  assured. 

These  great  minds  have  no  ancestral  lineage,  they 
rarely  transmit  their  talent  to  their  offspring.  For  a 
brief  moment,  that  of  their  great  achievement,  they 
gain  the  heights  never  before  reached,  and  not  again 
to  be  reached  by  their  posterity. 

Concentration. — It  has  been  said  that  great  con¬ 
centration  of  mind — the  ability  to  exclude  all  objects 
and  subjects  except  the  one  under  consideration — is 
the  prime  factor  of  genius,  and  an  adequate  explana¬ 
tion  of  it's  achievements.  In  other  words,  concentra¬ 
tion  is  another  name  for  sensitiveness.  What  is  con¬ 
centration  ?  Is  it  nota  mental  state  in  which  one  idea,  a 
group  of  ideas,  dominate ;  and  where  is  the  difference 
between  this  state  and  the  hypnotic  ?  Is  it  not  a  con¬ 
dition  of  exceeding  sensitiveness  to  ideas  related  to 
the  dominating  ?  There  really  is  slight  distinguish¬ 
ing  difference  between  the  concentration  of  writer, 
speaker,  or  inventor,  and  the  mesmeric,  or  hypnotic 
state  of  the  sensitive.  All  the  difference  observable 
is  from  the  side  on  which  the  subject  is  approached. 

This  concentration  has  been  called  attention  to  by 
some  authors,  who  would  make  genius  itself  de¬ 
pendent  entirely  on  attention,  which  Buffon  speaks 


CONCENTRATION  OF  THOUGHT.  163 

i 

• 

of  as  protracted  patience.  The  •  mind  that  can  take 
hold  of  the  thread  of  a  subject,  and  hold  fast  to  it  in 
all  its  intricacies  to  the  end,  is  enabled  to  do  so  by 
superior  attention.  Concentration  is  more  expres¬ 
sive,  and  under  whatever  name,  the  same  mental 
state  is  designated.  The  profound  student  always 
falls  into  it  when  absorbed  in  his  work,  and  becomes 
‘'absent-minded,”  which  is  an  expression  commonly 
used  to  explain  one  of  the  most  inexplicable  mental 
states.  When  under  control  of  the  will,  such  con¬ 
centration  of  mental  power  becomes  priceless  to  its 
possessor.  It  is  similar  to  the  hypnotic  state,  with 
none  of  its  disadvantages,  ajid  removed  to  a  higher 
plane.  The  mind  in  this  highly  sensitive  condition 
is  impressible  to  the  thought  waves  in  the  psychic- 
ether.  On  the  other  hand,  when  this  concentration 
or  attention  is  not  controllable  by  the  will,  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  the  unfortunate  individual  is  most  deplorable. 
He  is  lost  in  reverie,  a  dreamy,  misty  state  of  mind 
which  unfits  him  for  the  duties  of  practical  life.  The 
difference  is  that  between  forgetfulness  of  duty, 
which  has  been  the  butt  of  endless  ridicule  by  the 
world  and  of  burlesque  on  the  stage,  and  the  reaches 
of  thought  attained  by  the  philosopher,  and  the  divine 
songs  of  the  poet.  The  first  essential  requisite  of 
profound  thought  is  abstraction  from  the  distractions 
of  all  matters  except  the  one  in  hand.  Ability  to 
thus  concentrate  the  mind  at  pleasure  may  be  in¬ 
herited  or  the  product  of  education.  In  fact,  correct 
education  may  be  said  to  consist  mainly  in  the  con¬ 
trol  of  the  attention,  and  the  ability  to  concentrate 
the  mind  on  the  one  subject  presented. 

The  higher  education  of  the  future  will  recognize 
and  give  prominence  to  the  cultivation  of  this  hither¬ 
to  ignored  faculty. 

It  is  one  of  the  possibilities  of  the  future  to  encour- 


164 


UNCON'SCIOUS  SENSITIVENESS. 


age  the  culture  of  the  sensitive  faculty,  and  the  re¬ 
sults  wi  1  be  far  more  wonderful  in  normal  education 
than  now  arises  from  what  seems  abnormal,  and  the 
product  of  chance. 

Sensitiveness,  as  has  been  shown  in  the  preceding 
pages,  is  possessed  by  all  in  greater  or  less  degree,  and 
may  be  cultivated  like  any  other  mental  quality.  As 
its  laws  and  conditions  are  more  thoroughly  under¬ 
stood  and  its  inestimable  value  realized,  it  will  be¬ 
come  a  part  of  all  substantial  educational  training. 

The  Extension  of  this  Theory  into  the  Life  Be¬ 
yond. — This  theory,  without  calling  to  its  aid  spiritual 
beings,  marks  out  the  laws  by  which  such  beings  may 
control  the  sensitive  and  become  cognizant  of  the 
thoughts  of  each  other.  Man  being  a  spirit,  limited 
by  a  physical  body,  through  the  sensitive  state,  under 
certain  conditions,  he  breaks  away  from  his  limita¬ 
tions  and  feels  the  waves  of  thought  created  by 
others  through  the  psychic-ether. 

When  freed  from  the  physical  body  the  spirit  must 
possess  the  same  power  in  larger  degree  and  impress 
its  thoughts  on  the  sensitive  in  the  same  manner. 
Sensitive  beyond  mortal  conception  in  its  most  ex¬ 
alted  state,  it  is  in  connection  with  all  spiritual  in¬ 
telligences,  and  a  converging  and  diverging  center 
of  telegraphic  communication.  As  it  advances  in  this 
sensitiveness,  distance  becomes  a  less  and  less  factor, 
until  eliminated,  and  a  thought  sent  forth  wings 
its  way  until  it  meets  the  one  for  whom  it  was  in¬ 
tended. 

Thus,  what  has  been  made  the  toy  of  a  leisure  hour, 
the  imperfect  attempts  at  thought-reading,  mesmeric 
control  of  the  will,  and  the  mystery  of  communion 
of  minds  sympathetic,  are  really  the  crude  manifes¬ 
tations  of  an  undeveloped  faculty,  which,  after  the 


PR  A  YER. 


165 


evolution  wrought  by  death,  becomes  the  glory  of 
spirit-existence. 


Prayer  in  the  Light  of  Sensitiveness 
and  Thought  Waves. 


When  President  Garfield  was  lying  tortured  by 
the  wound  which  caused  his  death,  the  prayers  of  a 
whole  nation  arose  as  one  united  voice  for  his  re¬ 
covery.  From  sixty  thousand  pulpits  petitions  to 
the  throne  of  grace  ascended.  There  were  days  set 
apart  for  united  appeal  to  God.  He  was  eminent  in 
the  church  as  in  war  and  politics,  and  if  prayer  ever 
received  answer,  it  would  seem  that  it  should  be  in 
his  case.  Yet  the  good  man,  the  scholar,  the  states¬ 
man  and  theologian  died,  just  as  he  would  have  died 
had  no  petition  been  sent  to  the  throne  of  grace.  The 
ocean  ship,  freighted  with  passengers,  is  broken 
through  by  an  iceberg,  and  slowly  filling,  settles 
down  into  the  waves.  Wildly  the  best  and  purest 
men  and  women  pray  to  God  for  help,  but  the  ship 
is  not  thereby  sustained,  or  delayed  a  single  moment 
in  her  final  plunge  into  the  abysses  of  the  sea. 

On  occasions  of  great  public  calamity,  where 
drought  blasts  the  harvest,  locusts  devour  the  fields, 
or  pestilence  rages,  days  are  set  apart  for  prayer. 
Every  minister  of  the  gospel  and  every  layman 
daily  prays  with  utmost  fervor.  Yet  the  rain  falls 
not,  the  locusts  devour,  and  the  pestilence  pursues 
its  way  without  shadow  of  turning.  Prayer  in  such 
cases  is  as  hopeless  as  it  would  be  if  the  maker 


166 


PR  A  YER. 


should  stand  on  a  railroad  track,  and,  when  he  saw 
a  train  approaching,  pray  to  God  to  stop  it.  It  is  a 
petition  for  the  impossible. 

In  one  way  it  yields  results,  often  of  an  astonish¬ 
ing  character.  If  the  makers  are  sincere,  the  atti¬ 
tude  of  prayer  harmonizes  and  strenghthens  their 
faculties,  and  enables  them  to  bear  with  greater 
fortitude  the  vicissitudes  of  time ;  to  bear,  but  not 
avert,  impending  fate.  How  many  captives  chained 
in  dungeons  have,  in  imitation  of  the  apostle, 
prayed  fervently  with  perfect  faith  that  their  chains- 
might  fall  off,  and  the  bars  of  their  prison  door  be 
drawn  aside,  and  met  with  no  response.  How  many 
zealous  martyrs  have  been  led  to  the  stake,  praying 
to  Jesus  for  deliverance  which  came  not;  and  Jesus 
himself,  in  the  hour  of  his  mortal  agony,  prayed  to 
the  Father,  to  be  answered  by  silence,  and  to  find 
bitterness  and  mockery ;  a  cross  and  a  crown  of 
thorns,  where  he  had  expected  a  throne  and  the 
glittering  scepter  of  the  nations. 

The  once  all-powerful  belief  in  the  ability  of  dele¬ 
gated  men  to  control  events  and  e’ements  by  suppli¬ 
cation  to  the  Deity,  which  made  the  “medicine 
men,”  the  priests  and  jugglers,  the  tyrants  of  man¬ 
kind,  has  now,  in  civilized  countries,  dwindled  into 
the  intercessions  for  moral  help,  and  an  occasional 
prayer  for  physical  changes,  as  for  rain  in  times 
of  drought,  the  staying  of  grasshoppers,  or  the 
approach  of  disease. 

It  is  difficult  for  the  gospel  minister  to  give  up 
entirely  the  role  of  the  “  medicine  man,”  and  cease 
to  pray  for  the  sick  in  the  misty  hope  that  God  will 
answer.  It  is  almost  as  troublesome  for  the  preacher 
to  let  go  his  hold  on  the  weather,  and  not  follow 
the  Indian’s  rattling  gourd,  shaken  at  the  sky,  with 
prayer  for  the  same  object. 


F1NJSE Y'S  PRAYER. 


*167 


This  is  the  degradation  of  prayer,  and  the  preacher 
clasps  hands  with  the  juggler.  That  this  pretense  is 
yet  maintained,  is  made  most  remarkably  apparent 
in  a  work  on  prayer  recently  published.  An  inci¬ 
dent  in  the  life  of  President  Finney,  of  Oberlin  Col¬ 
lege,  copied  from  its  pages,  will  amply  suffice  to  illus¬ 
trate  this  anachronism,  a  belief  of  savage  man  forced 
into  the  highest  civilized  thought. 

There  was  drought  in  Oberlin,  and  the  thin,  hard 
clay  soil  of  that  region  suffered  severely  from  a  total 
.failure  for  three  months,  of  rain.  Clouds  promised 
the  desired  moisture,  but  hovered  over  the  lake,  and 
poured  out  their  waters  there.  This  they  did  day 
after  day,  raising  the  hopes  of  the  anxious,  and  then 
drifting  away. 

Finney,  who  was  an  enthusiast,  was  walking  in 
the  street  one  day,  when  a  friend  met  him  and  said: 
“I  should  like  to  know  what  you  mean  by  preaching 
that  God  is  always  wise  and  always  good,  when  you 
see  him  pouring  out  that  great  rain  on  the  lake, 
where  it  can  do  no  good,  and  leaving  us  to  suffer  so 
terribly  for  want  of  the  wasted  water  ?” 

Finney  said:  “  His  words  cut  me  to  the  very  heart; 

I  turned  and  ran  home  to  my  closet,  fell  on  my 
knees,  and  told  the  Lord  what  had  been  said  to  me, 
and  besought  him,  for  the  honor  of  his  great  name, 
to  confound  this  caviler,  and  show  forth  the  glory 
of  his  power,  and  the  greatness  of  his  love.  I  pleaded 
with  him  that  he  had  encouraged  his  people  to  pray 
for  rain,  and  now  the  time  had  come  for  him  to  show  , 
his  power,  and  his  faithfulness  as  a  hearer  of  prayer. 
Before  I  rose  from  my  knees  there  was  a  sound  of 
a  rushing  mighty  wind.  I  looked  out,  and  lo,  the 
heavens  were  black ;  clouds  were  rolling  up,  and 
rain  soon  fell  in  torrents,  continuing  for  two  full 
hours.'’ 


108 


PR  A  YER. 


Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  lake  region 
know  the  peculiarity  of  these  storms,  and  will  readily 
understand  the  rapidity  of  their  coming.  They  re¬ 
quire  no  prayer  to  move  them,  and  that  the  coinci¬ 
dence  of  the  rain  and  the  prayer  should  be  endorsed 
by  leaders  in  theology,  is  a  strange  instance  of  mental 
aberration,  or,  as  Darwin  would  say,  ativism.  The 
absurdity  of  the  representation  apparently  escapes 
the  notice  of  those  who  accept  it.  The  zealous  Fin¬ 
ney  telling  an  Omnipotent  God  what  he  ought  to  do 
to  show  his  power  and  keep  his  promise  for  his  own 
interest  and  reputation,  as  though  the  rain  was  not 
withheld  for  some  good  purpose  well  known  by  the 
Omnipotent !  And  then  by  his  pleading,  this  little 
President  of  a  then  obscure  college,  changed  the  will 
and  purpose  of  the  Almighty,  and  brought  the  rain 
to  a  narrow  section  of  country,  leaving  regions  be¬ 
yond  equally  suffering  without  a  drop  of  moisture  ! 

Such  instances  prove  too  much.  They  maintain 
the  changefulness  of  God,  and  the  power  of  man  to 
persuade  Him  to  alter  the  course  of  the  elements. 
Mr.  Finney  heralds  with  ostentatious  pride  this  case 
when  the  clouds  came  at  his  call ;  he  does  not  tell  us 
of  the  prayers  he  and  all  the  praying  people  of  that 
region  had  daily  offered  for  weeks  and  months  for 
the  same  object,  which  brought  no  moisture  ! 

Rain  is  sure  to  come  at  some  time,  and  if  the  sea¬ 
sons  of  prayer  be  continued  long  exrough,  the  last  one 
will  surely  be  followed  by  rain. 

This  instance  is  introduced  to  illustrate  the  limi¬ 
tation  of  the  power  of  prayer.  The  insensible  ele¬ 
ments  can  not  be  influenced.  The  clouds  and  the 
winds,  the  storm  and  the  earthquake,  will  not  come 
or  go  at  our  bidding,  or  the  invocation,  even,  of  a 
saint. 

Yet  earnest  prayer,  withiir  fixed  limitations,  may 


DR.  SMITH'S  NARRATIVE. 


169 


be  and  has  been  answered,  as  is  proven  by  innumer¬ 
able  witnesses.  Not  by  a  personal  God  to  whom  the 
appeal  is  made,  but  by  harmonizing  the  prayer-giver 
with  subtile  spiritual  forces,  which  work  in  ways  not 
comprehended  by  a  gross  view  of  the  world.  When 
we  consider  human  and  spiritual  beings  as  laved  by 
an  ocean  of  attenuated  substance,  elastic  and  recept¬ 
ive  beyond  comprehension,  and  that  each  being  is  a 
vortex  of  vibrations,  we  understand  how  from  an  in- 
tensely  wrought  mind  vibrant  thoughts  go  forth,  and 
although  they  strike  an  infinite  number  of  indivi¬ 
duals  who  are  not  sensitive  to  them,  they  find  others 
in  mortal  bodies  or  spiritual,  as  harps  like  attuned 
set  each  other  in  vibration,  and  move  those  thus 
receptive  to  answer  their  appeals.  The  power  and 
strength  given  by  prayer  arise  from  this  harmoniz¬ 
ing  of  their  being  by  spiritual  aspiration,  which  lift 
the  mind  into  the  realm  of  superior  spiritual  forces, 
it  is  then  that  the  appeal  to  God  goes  forth  in  vibra¬ 
tions,  to  be  recognized  by  spirit  friends,  and  by  them 
conveyed  to  mortals  who  have  the  ability  to  respond, 
or  directly  reach  some  responsive  mind  in  the  mortal 
body. 

The  following  narrative  of  Dr.  Joseph  Smith,  of 
Warrington,  England,  which  is  accredited  by  the 
journal  of  the  Society  for  Psychological  Research, 
May,  1885,  is  a  fine  illustration  of  what  is  popularly 
known  as  God’s  answer  to  prayer: 

“  I  was  sitting  one  evening  reading  when  a  voice 
came  to  me,  saying: 

“‘Send  a  loaf  to  James  Grady’s.’  I  continued 
reading,  and  the  voice  continued  with  greater  em¬ 
phasis,  and  this  time  it  was  accompanied  with  an 
irresistible  impulse  to  get  up.  I  obeyed,  and  went 
into  the  village  and  bought  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  see¬ 
ing  a  lad  at  the  shop  door,  I  asked  him  if  he  knew 


170 


PR  A  YER. 


James  Grady.  He  said  he  did,  so  I  had  him  carry  it; 
and  say  that  a  gentleman  sent  it.  Mrs.  Grady  was  a 
member  of  my  class,  and  I  went  down  next  morn¬ 
ing  to  see  what  came  of  it,  when  she  told  me  that  a 
strange  thing  had  happened  to  her  last  night.  She 
said  she  wished  to  put  the  children  to  bed,  but  they 
began  to  cry  for  want  of  food,  and  she  had  nothing 
to  give  them.  She  then  went  to  prayer,  to  ask  God 
to  give  them  something,  soon  after  which  the  lad 
came  to  the  door  with  the  loaf.  I  calculated  on  in¬ 
quiry  that  the  prayer  and  the  voice  I  heard  exactly 
coincided  in  point  of  timed” 

As  a  member  of  his  class,  a  close  connection  existed 
between  Dr.  Smith  and  Mrs.  Grady,  and  he  was  there¬ 
by  receptive  to  the  eager  appeal  she  made,  incited  by 
her  children’s  cry  for  bread. 

The  case  of  Henry  Young  Stilling  has  become  a 
text  in  most  orthodox  books  on  the  subject  of  prayer. 
He  was  a  physician  at  the  court  of  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Baden,  the  intimate  friend  of  Goethe,  who,  impressed 
with  his  remarkable  experiences,  urged  him  to  write 
an  account  of  his  life. 

Stilling  desired  to  study  medicine  at  a  university, 
and  in  an  answer  to  prayer  to  know  which  he  should 
choose  was  directed  to  Strasburg.  In  order  to  attend 
that  school  he  required  a  thousand  dollars,  and  he  had 
only  forty-six  ;  yet  with  this  he  started  on  his  journey/ 
freely  relying  on  heavenly  aid.  On  reaching  Frank¬ 
fort,  he  had  only  a  dollar  left.  He  made  his  case 
known  by  prayer.  Walking  on  the  street  he  met  a 
merchant,  who,  learning  his  purpose  of  attending  the 
university,  asked  where  the  money  was  to  come  from. 
Stilling  replied  that  he  had  only  one  dollar,  but  his 
Heavenly  Father  was  rich  and  would  provide  for  him. 
“Well,  I  am  one  of  your  Father’s  stewards,”  said 
the  merchant,  and  handed  him  thirty-three  dollars. 


REV.  H.  BUSH  REEL'S  NARRATIVE. 


171 


Settled  at  Strasburg,  his  fee  to  the  lectures  became 
due  and  must  be  paid  by  Thursday  evening,  or  his 
name  stricken  from  the  roll.  He  spent  the  day  in 
prayer,  and  at  five  o’clock  nothing  had  come.  His 
anxiety  became  unbearable,  when  a  knock  was  heard 
at  his  door,  and  his  landlord  entered  and  inquired 
how  he  liked  the  room,  and  if  he  had  money.  “No, 
I  have  no  money,”  cried  Stilling  in  despair.  “  I  see 
how  it  is,”  replied  the  landlord ;  “  God  has  sent  me 
to  help  you,”  and  handed  him  forty  dollars.  Stilling 
threw  himself  on  the  floor  and  thanked  God,  while 
the  tears  rained  from  his  eyes.  His  whole  life’s  ex¬ 
perience  was  of  a  like  character.  He  prayed  con¬ 
stantly  to  God,  and  at  the  last  moment  his  necessities 
were  supplied. 

How  difficult  it  is  to  suppose  that  God  interested 
himself  especially  in  one  of  thousands  of  students, 
overlooking  the  others,  equally  poor  and  needy,  and 
as  earnest  in  their  efforts  !  How  easy  to  suppose  that 
an  angel  friend,  foreseeing  the  great  capabilities  of 
Stilling,  interested  himself,  and  by  influencing  this 
or  that  mind  smoothed  the  way,  and  furnished  the 
means  he  imperatively  needed.  It  will  be  remarked 
that  at  no  time  were  his  necessities  exceeded.  No 
one  gave  him  lavishly,  or  more  than  sufficed  for  his 
urgent  needs. 

Rev.  H.  Bushnell,  in  his  “  Nature  and  the  Super, 
natural.”  refers  to  an  interesting  incident  he  learned 
in  his  visit  to  California.  The  man  had  hired  his 
little  house  of  one  room,  in  a  new  trading  town  that 
was  planted  last  year,  agreeing  to  give  a  rent  of  ten 
dollars  a  month.  When  the  pay  day  came  he  had 
nothing  to  meet  the  demand,  nor  could  he  see  whence 
the  money  was  to  come.  Consulting  with  his  wife, 
they  agreed  that  prayer,  so  often  tried,  was  their 
only  hope.  They  went  according  to  prayer,  and 


172 


PRA  YER. 


found  assurance  that  their  want  would  be  supplied. 

When  the  morning  came  the  money  did  not.  The 
rent  owner  made  his  appearance  earlier  than  usual. 
As  he  entered  the  door  their  hearts  began  to  sink, 
whispering  that  now,  for  once,  their  prayer  had 
failed.  But  before  the  demand  was  made,  a  neighbor 
came  and  called  out  the  untimely  visitor,  engaging 
him  in  conversation  a  few  minutes  at  the  door. 
Meanwhile,  a  stranger  came  in  saying,  “  Doctor,  I 
owe  you  ten  dollars  for  attending  me  in  a  fever,  and 
here  is  the  money/’  He  could  not  remember  either 
the  man  or  the  service,  but  was  willing  to  be  con¬ 
vinced,  and  had  the  money  when  the  rent  owner 
again  entered.  The  same  explanation  applies  here 
as  to  the  preceding. 

The  following  indicates  not  an  answer  to  the 
prayer,  but  a  direct  communication.  It  is  related  by 
Dr.  Wilson,  of  Philadelphia  :  “The  packet  ship,  ‘Al¬ 
bion,’  full  of  passengers  from  America,  was  wrecked 
on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  and  the  news  was  that  all  on 
board  had  perished.  A  minister  near  Philadelphia, 
reading  a  list  of  the  lost,  found  the  name  of  one  of 
the  members  of  his  congregation,  and  went  immedi¬ 
ately  to  inform  the  wife  of  the  sad  fact.  She  had 
been  earnestly  praying  during  the  voyage  of  her 
husband,  and  had  received  assurance  of  his  safety 
amid  great  danger.  Hence,  to  the  astonishment  of 
her  pastor,  after  he  had  informed  her  of  the  ship¬ 
wreck,  and  showed  her  the  list  of  names  of  those 
who  were  lost,  she  told  him  that  it  was  a  mistake, 
that  her  husband  had  been  in  extreme  peril,  but  was 
not  dead.  When  the  next  tidings  were  received  it 
proved  that  her  husband  was  among  the  passengers, 
and  had  been  in  great  peril,  but  that  he  had  escaped, 
and  was  the  only  one  saved.” 

There  could  be  no  connection  between  the  wife’s 


WASHINGTON  ALLSTON '8  EXPERIENCE.  173 


prayer  and  safety  of  her  husband,  but  the  state  of 
mind  induced  by  prayer  allowed  her  to  receive  the 
message  of  his  safety. 

The  celebrated  artist,  Washington  Allston,  refined 
and  sensitive  to  a  fault,  had  at  first  to  struggle  with 
great  difficulties,  and  endure  the  pinchings  of  pov¬ 
erty.  At  one  time  he  was  reduced  to  the  want  of 
even  a  loaf  of  bread  for  himself  and  wife.  In  des¬ 
pair  he  locked  himself  in  his  studio  and  earnestly 
prayed  for  assistance.  While  thus  engaged,  there 
was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  opening  it  a  stranger 
appeared,  who  inquired  if  the  artist  still  possessed 
the  beautiful  painting,  “The  Angel  Uriel.”  Mr.  All¬ 
ston  drew  it  from  a  corner,  and  brushed  off  the  dust- 
The  stranger  said  he  had  greatly  admired  it  when  it 
was  on  exhibition,  and  inquired  the  price.  The  artist 
replied  that  as  no  one  seemed  to  appreciate  it  he  had 
ceased  to  offer  it.  “Will  four  hundred  pounds  pur¬ 
chase  ?”  said  the  stranger.  “  I  never  dared  ask  one- 
half  of  that.”  “Then  it  is  mine,”  exclaimed  the 
visitor,  who  explained  that  he  was  the  Marquis  of 
Stafford,  leaving  the  artist  overwhelmed  with  grati¬ 
tude. 

Where  the  answer  to  prayer  follows  so  directly  the 
appeal,  we  may  suppose  that  the  intensity  of  thought 
may  affect  directly  the  individual  who  responds. 
Thus,  when  Allston  was  so  despairing,  his  thoughts 
would  go  widely  forth,  and  the  Marquis  of  Stafford 
having  seen  the  painting,  and  desiring  it,  might 
have  the  thought  of  it  awakened,  and  be  thereby 
drawn  at  the  special  time  to  the  artist's  studio.  Of 
course  the  case  is  also  open  to  the  direct  intervention 
of  angelic  messengers,  for  all  this  class  of  facts  inti¬ 
mately  blend,  and  are  controlled  by  the  same  gen¬ 
eral  laws,  and  it  is  difficult  to  determine  to  which  of 
the  two  causes  they  should  be  referred.  The  door 


174 


PR  A  YER. 


that  admits  angelic  beings  makes  the  influence  of 
thought  waves  also  possible. 

The  cure  of  Melancthon  by  the  prayers  of  Luther 
is  well  known  to  the  student  of  the  Reformation. 
The  former  had  been  given  over  to  die,  when  Luther 
rushed  to  the  death-bed  of  his  loved  friend  with 
tears  and  exclamations  of  agony.  Melancthon  was 
aroused  and  said :  “  O  Luther,  is  this  you  ?  Why  do 
you  not  let  me  depart  in  peace  ?”  “We  can’t  spare 
you  yet,  Philip,”  was  Luther’s  answer.  Then  he 
bowed  down  for  a  long  hour  in  prayer,  until  he  felt 
he  had  been  answered.  Then  he  took  Melancthon’s 
hand,  who  said:  “Dear  Luther,  why  do  you  not  let 
me  depart  in  peace?”  “No,  no,  Philip,  we  can  not 
spare  you  from  the  field  of  labor;”  and  added, 
“Philip,  take  this  soup,  or  I  will  excommunicate 
you.”  Melancthon  took  the  soup,  began  to  revive, 
and  lived  many  years  to  assist  the  sturdy  reformer 
with  his  facile  pen.  Luther  went  home  and  told  his 
wife,  in  joyous  triumph,  that  “  God  gave  me  my 
brother,  Melancthon,  in  direct  answer  to  prayer.” 

Now,  such  a  cure  would  be  called  faith  cure,  or 
magnetic  healing.  The  state  of  feeling  induced  by 
long  and  fervent  prayer  was  the  source  of  magnetic 
power,  and  therein,  and  not  through  the  direct  inter¬ 
vention  of  God,  was  the  prayer  answered. 

Bishop  Bowman  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
unexpected  recovery  of  Bishop  Simpson,  when  he 
was  supposed  to  be  dying : 

“I  remember  once,  when  there  was  a  conference 
at  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  at  which  I  was  present, 
Bishop  James  was  presiding  one  afternoon,  and  after 
reading  a  despatch  saying  that  Bishop  Simpson  was 
dying  in  Pittsburg,  asked  that  the  conference  unite 
in  prayer,  that  his  life  might  be  saved.  We  knelt, 
and  Taylor,  the  great  street  preacher,  led.  After  the 


BISHOP  BOWMAN'S  RESTORATION. 


175 


first  few  sentences,  in  which  I  joined  with  my  whole 
heart,  my  mind  seemed  to  be  at  ease,  and  I  did  not 
pay  much  attention  to  the  rest  of  the  prayer  only  to 
notice  its  beauty.  When  we  arose  from  our  knees, 
I  turned  to  a  brother  and  said,  ‘  Bishop  Simpson  will 
not  die ;  I  feel  it.’  He  assured  me  that  he  had  re¬ 
ceived  the  same  impression.  The  word  was  passed 
around,  and  over  thirty  ministers  present  said  they 
had  the  same  feelings.  I  took  my  book  and  made  a 
note  of  the  hour  and  circumstance.  Several  months 
afterwards,  I  met  Bishop  Simpson,  and  asked  him 
what  he  did  to  recover  his  health.  He  did  not  know ; 
but  the  physician  had  said  it  was  a  miracle.  He 
said,  that  one  afternoon,  when  at  the  point  of  death, 
the  doctor  left  him,  saying  that  he  should  be  left 
alone  (by  the  doctor)  for  half  an  hour.  At  the  end 
of  that  time,  the  doctor  returned,  and  noticed  a  great 
change.  He  was  startled,  and  asked  the  family 
what  had  been  done,  and  they  replied,  nothing  at' 
all.  That  half  hour,  I  find,  by  making  allowance 
for  difference  of  localities,  was  just  the  time  we  were 
praying  for  him  at  Mount  Vernon.  From  that  time 
on  he  steadily  improved,  and  has  lived  to  bless  the 
Church  and  humanity.” 

Bishop  Bowman  adds: 

“  On  the  God  who  has  so  often  answered  my 
prayers,  I  will  still  rely,  scientific  men  and  philoso¬ 
phers  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.”  The  “scien¬ 
tific  man”  would  reply  that  he  had  no  desire  to  dis¬ 
pute  the  fact  as  stated,  but,  instead  of  a  personal 
God  who  had  struck  down  Bishop  Simpson  with  dis¬ 
ease,  changing  his  purpose  because  supplicated  by 
the  mmisteral  conference,  the  intense  fervency  of 
thought  of  that  conference  united  in  prayer  had  gone 
forth  in  a  magnetic  beam,  and  given  the  suffering 
patient  the  strength  of  a  new  life.  If  there  was  divine 


170 


PRA  TER. 


agency,  it  stood  back  of  the  laws  of  spiritual  forces, 
in  which  case,  prayer  was  only  a  means  of  prepara¬ 
tion,  unitizing,  harmonizing  and  directing. 

He  was  affected  just  the  same  as  he  would  have 
been  had  he  been  in  the  conference  hall,  for  distance, 
as  has  been  repeatedly  shown,  is  an  unimportant  ele¬ 
ment  in  the  exercise  of  these  psychic  forces. 

There  are  several  charitable  institutions  which 
their  founders  claim  to  have  been  entirely  support¬ 
ed  by  means  of  donations  made  in  answer  to  prayer. 
As  these  are  often  brought  forward  in  evidence  of 
the  direct  answer  to  prayer,  they  become  of  interest 
to  the  student  of  this  subject. 

The  Bristol  Orphan  Home  is  typical  of  its  class. 
George  Muller,  its  founder,  began  with  no  wealth, 
aside  from  his  sublime  faith  in  his  appeals  for  divine 
aid.  In  his  Thirty-sixth  Annual  Report,  he  says  that 
in  1875  his  faith  was  put  to  trial  most  severely.  He 
commenced  the  year  with  $20,000  in  his  treasury, 
which  in  three  months  was  reduced  one-half,  or  only 
enough  to  meet  expenses  for  a  single  month.  The 
treasury  had  never  been  as  low,  and  the  number  of 
orphans  had  doubled.  He  fervently  prayed,  as  the 
situation  became  more  alarming,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  month  so  many  donations  flowed  in  he  had 
$48,000. 

In  the  forty-one  years  this  institution  has  been 
conducted,  during  which  no  appeal  for  charity  has 
been  made  directly,  except  through  prayer,  $3,325,000 
has  been  received.  As  the  results  of  its  use,  46,400 
persons  have  been  taught  in  schools  wholly  sus¬ 
tained,  and  tens  of  thousands  in  schools  assisted; 
96,000  Bibles,  247,000  Testaments,  and  180,000  smaller 
portions  of  the  Scriptures  circulated ;  above  53,500,000 
tracts  and  books  in  various  languages  distributed; 
of  late  years  170  missionaries  annually  assisted ; 


MULLER'S  ORPHANAGE. 


177 


4,G77  orphans  cared  for ;  five  large  edifices  built,  at 
a  cost  of  $575,000,  able  to  accommodate  2,050  or¬ 
phans. 

Such  an  institution  may  have  no  organized  solicit¬ 
ing  board  on  the  earthly  side,  but  of  necessity  must 
have  on  the  spiritual  side.  It  is  a  potent  center  of 
attraction  to  those  who  have  means,  and  are  looking 
about  for  some  worthy  object.  The  leaders,  with 
self-abnegation,  devote  their  lives  to  the  unselfish 
work,  and  the  angel  messengers,  with  equal  devo¬ 
tion,  act  as  solicitors  to  those  they  are  able  to  ap¬ 
proach. 

We  may  also  regard  as  a  potent  factor,  earnest 
prayer  going  out  on  waves  of  thought,  and  directly 
affecting  susceptible  minds,  calling  their  attention 
to  the  great  charity,  and  influencing  them  to  sus¬ 
tain  it. 

This  explanation  of  the  effect  of  prayer,  and  of  the 
causes  contributing  to  its  answering,  while  removing 
it  from  the  realm  of  miracle,  makes  the  subject  one 
of  absorbing  interest.  The  Divine  Spirit  never  di¬ 
rectly  answers,  but  there  are  laws  and  conditions 
through  which  the  earnest  spirit  is  granted  the  as¬ 
sistance  it  desires.  It  is  a  mistake  to  refer  the  an¬ 
swer  directly  to  God,  as  it  would  be  to  say  he  sup¬ 
ports  the  world  in  space  by  his  extended  arm.  The 
Protestant  churches  hold  as  sacrilege  the  appeal  to 
any  being  but  God.  The  Catholics  are  more  wise, 
and  offer  their  prayers  to  their  patron  saints,  by 
which  comforting  love  and  assuring  affection  are 
awakened  by  direct  contact. 


178 


CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE. 


Christian  Science,  Mind  Cure,  Faith 
Cure — their  Psychic  Relations. 


Out  of  the  recently  received  views  of  spirit,  de¬ 
rived  by  psychic  investigations,  have  grown  a  num¬ 
ber  of  systems,  drawing  nice  distinctions  between 
their  claims,  and,,  in  some  instances,  expanding  to 
the  estate  of  psychic  science,  attempting  not  only  to 
correllate  the  facts  of  spirit,  but  to  found  on  them  a 
system  of'  morals.  It  is  because  of  this  that  Chris¬ 
tian  science,  theology,  mind  cure,  faith  cure,  meta¬ 
physics,  etc.,  have  a  place  in  the  discussions  enter- 
tained  in  this  volume.  Nearly  all  of  these  begin  as 
methods  of  healing.  Their  first  office  is  to  restore 
health.  Such  has  been  the  application  of  almost  all 
new  discoveries,  which  reveal  and  are  half  shrouded 
in  mystery.  Electricity  and  magnetism  met  this 
fate,  and  mesmerism  was  at  first  thought  to  be  a 
curative  agent  for  all  diseases. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  all  religious  systems,  from 
that  of  the  lowest  savage,  whose  god  is  represented 
by  a  stick  or  a  tuft  of  feathers,  to  the  purest  form  of 
Christianity,  depend  on  miraculous  healing  for  their 
evidence  of  genuineness.  It  is  true  the  weight  of 
such  evidence  is  constantly  lessened  with  the  ad¬ 
vance  of  culture,  yet  it  still  remains  in  force,  and  by 
many  believers  is  received  as  conclusive  and  final. 

Charlatanism  seized  mesmerism,  as  it  has  every¬ 
thing  new,  and  brought  its  healing  potencies  into 
disgrace  by  its  ignorance  and  pretensions.  The 
germ  of  truth  was  then,  and  from  time  to  time  has 


CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE.  THEOSOPHY. 


179 


reappeared  under  startling  names,  and  in  some  in¬ 
stances  so  changed  as  to  appear  superficially,  as 
something  entirely  new.  Those  who  scorn  mesmer¬ 
ism  received  the  new  claimants,  the  only  change 
being  in  name. 

I  propose  to  briefly  examine  some  of  these,  and,  if 
possible,  find  the  rock  of  truth  on  which  they  rest. 

Christian  Science. — First,  as  having  attracted 
most  attention,  is  Christian  Science.  It  claims  to  be 
a  system  for  curing  the  sick,  preserving  health,  and 
a  perfect  moral  guide  in  the  conduct  of  life. 

Healing  the  sick  is  only  an  accidental  means  of 
testing  the  genuineness  of  the  devotee’s  belief.  Heal¬ 
ing  is  the  first  step  on  the  lowest  plane.  It  makes 
the  proud  claim  of  being  the  Science  of  Spirit,  and 
as  spirit  is  causation,  Christian  Science  is  the  Sci¬ 
ence  of  Sciences.  It  aims  to  be  a  complete  system 
of  religion  and  morality,  and  demands  the  highest, 
most  unselfish,  devoted  lives.  It  demands  universal 
love,  unfaltering  charity;  neither  to  think  or  act 
evil;  the  suppression  of  scorn  and  hate;  a  belief  that 
all  is  good,  for  all  is  God,  who  is  absolutely  good. 

It  widely  differs  from  the  “faith  cure,”  and.  mind 
cure,  as  it  introduces  and  demands  the  highest  ex¬ 
cellence  in  the  conduct  of  life,  while  the  faith  cure 
calls  for  simple  faith  in  the  means  employed,  or  in 
the  power  of  God. 

Christian  Science  shows  the  source  of  its  inspira¬ 
tion  when  it  declares  healing  to  be  a  test  of  faith  and 
character. 

Theosophy  resembles  Christian  Science,  extending 
over  the  broadest  field  of  morality,  intellectuality, 
and  spirit,  eschewing  healing  as  a  test.  The  teach¬ 
ings  of  both,  by  appropriating  all  that  is  valuable  in 


180 


CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE. 


other  doctrines,  are  similar.  Theosophy,  however, 
states’  one  fundamental  doctrine  on  which  its  super¬ 
structure  rests.  This  is  the  pre-existence  of  the  soul 
or  spirit,  and  its  repeated  incarnations  on  earth.  As 
this  doctrine  has  been  criticised  elsewhere,  the  argu¬ 
ments  against  it  need  not  be  here  introduced.  As 
guides  in  the  conduct  of  life  they  have  nothing  true 
which  they  can  claim  as  new,  and  their  distinctive 
features  remain  to  be  demonstrated,  or  are  revived 
speculations  and  dreams  of  the  world’s  dawn,  when 
nature  was  a  riddle  and  life  a  mystery. 

Tlie  Faith  Cure  rests  on  the  declarations  of  the 
Bible,  that  faith  will  remove  mountains,  and  re¬ 
deem  the  lost.  When  Christ  or  his  disciples  laid 
hands  on  the  sick  to  heal,  the  first  and  paramount 
question  was :  Have  they  faith  ?  There  is  curative 
power  in  faith.  It  is  half  gained  to  have  the  sick 
confident  that  they  will  recover;  and  the  belief  that 
they  will  be  sustained  by  certain  means!  often  has 
more  influence  than  the  means. 

The  Mental  Cure  asserts  the  superiority  of  the 
mind  over  the  body,  as  a  scientific  fact,  without  ap¬ 
peal  to  God  or  faith.  In  vital  essence,  in  making 
the  body  the  servant  of  the  mind,  all  these  sys¬ 
tems  are  identical.  Christian  Metaphysics  and 
Christian  Science,  a  difference  of  name,  and  mental 
cure,  mind  cure,  etc.,  have  the  same  basis.  Each 
has  enclosed  a  narrow  field,  and  writes  its  name  over 
the  entrance.  Christian  Science,  by  making  the 
greatest  display,  has  become  most  conspicuous. 
Many  of  its  propositions  call  forth  no  dissent,  others 
are  on  their  face  too  absurd  to  require  contradiction. 

The  same  line  of  argument  will  apply  to  all  these 
systems,  and  they  need  not  be  taken  separately. 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  MIND. 


181 


Influence  of  the  Mind  Over  the  Body. — The  mind 

has  a  very  great  influence  over  the  body,  as  has  been 
remarked  by  those  who  have  investigated  the  sub¬ 
ject  since  the  time  of  Hipocrates.  The  strongest 
mind  sometimes  is  found  in  a  weak  body. 

Lord  Brougham,  with  a  frail  physique,  performed 
the  most  Herculean  mental  tasks.  It  is  said  that  he 
once  worked  one  hundred  and  forty-four  hours,  or 
six  consecutive  days,  and  then  slept  all  Saturday 
night,  Sunday,  and  Sunday  night,  and  was  waked 
Monday  morning  by  his  valet  to  resume  his  labors. 

The  power  of  mind  over  the  body  is  illustrated  by 
the  annals  of  explorers  in  the  frigid  zone,  and  in  the 
deadly  regions  of  the  tropics.  The  leaders  of  such 
expeditions,  with  all  the  burden  and  responsibilities 
of  their  position,  bear  up  better  than  their  men,  and 
rarely  succumb  to  adversities  to  which  the  latter 
yield.  The  hardships  met  by  Dr.  Kane  and  Lieut. 
Greely  are  fresh  in  the  mind  ;  and  the  invincible 
Stanley,  bTaving  the  savage  foes  and  deadly  malaria 
of  the  Black  Continent,  is  another  example.  Such 
leaders,  encouraged  by  the  honors  success  will  yield, 
and  dreading  the  shame  of  defeat  more  than  death, 
persevere  against  all  opposing  forces,  while  their 
men,  with  less  at  stake  either  to  win  or  lose,  sink, 
apathetically,  before  reaching  the  goal.  In  such 
cases,  the  will  sustains  the  body,  and  shows  its  in¬ 
dependence  of  the  material  forces  which  affect  it.  1 

In  no  instance  is  the  control  of  mind  over  the  sen¬ 
sations,  affecting  it  through  the  body,  shown  with 
greater  force  than  in  the  terrible  ordeals  of  martyr¬ 
dom.  The  weak  and  delicate  woman,  as  well  as  the 
strong  man,  was  bound  on  the  rack,  or  subjected  to 
the  unspeakable  horrors  of  the  thumbscrew,  burning 
pincers,  or  the  smouldering  fagots,  and  yet  so  far 
from  uttering  moans  or  sighs,  smiled  on  their  tor- 


182 


CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE. 


mentors,  or  sang  hozannas  amid  the  flames.  Their 
minds  had  risen  to  such  exaltation  that  physical 
pain  was  unfelt,  in  fact,  was  a  relief  to  the  mental 
tension. 

i  There  is  no  pathological  phenomena  more  freely 
attested  than  the  sudden  vitiation  of  the  secretions 
by  intense  mental  disturbances.  A  mother  subjected 
to  intense  fright,  or  fear,  will  have  her  milk  become 
poisonous  to  her  babe.  Dr.  A.  Combe  mentions 
an  instance  where  a  mother  left  her  child  to  assist 
the  father  in  combat  with  a  drunken  soldier.  After 
the  fight  was  over  she  nursed  the  babe,  which  was 
strong  and  healthy.  After  a  few  minutes  it  ceased 
nursing,  and  sank  dead  in  its  mother’s  arms.  The 
milk  had  become  a  virulent  poison. 

A  lady  with  a  violent  temper  was  warned  by  her 
physician  against  indulging  it  while  nursing  her 
babe,  and  she  had  obeyed  until  the  child  was  sev¬ 
eral  months  old,  strong  and  healthy.  At  that  time 
she  became  enraged  at  some  trivial  circumstance, 
and  soon  afterwards  she  nursed  her  babe,  which 
became  ill,  and  within  an  hour  was  dead.  The 
changes  wrought  in  the  saliva  by  anger  are  well 
known.  The  bite  of  an  enraged  man  is  as  much  to 
be  dreaded  as  that  of  a  mad  dog.  Blood  poisoning  is 
almost  a  sure  consequence  of  inocculation  with  the 
saliva  of  an  angry  man  or  brute. 

Hydrophobia  itself  is  probably  a  spontaneous  pro¬ 
duction  in  canines  subjected  to  starvation  and  ill- 
usage. 

Great  joy  or  grief  produces  secretions  in  the  blood, 
which  make  it  poisonous.  The  prostration  by  grief 
is  only  equaled  by  that  of  violent  disease.  The 
blood  and  all  secretions  therefrom  become  so 
affected  that  a  long  time  is  required  to  eliminate  the 
morbific  matter  from  the  system.  If  this  is  not  ac- 


ENNOBLING  PURSUITS. 


183 


complished,  lingering  illness  or  death  is  the  final 
result.  This  is  distinct  from  sudden  death,  on  the 
disclosure  of  some  startling  news,  of  grief  or  joy. 
The  heart  in  these  instances  suddenly  fails  at  the 
nervous  shock.  Successful  labor  is  always  invigor¬ 
ating,  while  unsuccessful  is  depressing.  It  was  ob¬ 
served  in  the  early  mining  days  of  California  that 
a  stranger  passing  the  claims  could  readily  discover 
those  that  paid  and  those  that  did  not,  by  the  man¬ 
ners  of  the  men  who  were  working  them.  If  un¬ 
successful,  they  were  depressed,  ill  with  fevers  and 
idle.  If  successful  they  were  at  work  early  and 
late,  cheerful,  well,  and  energetic. 

Every  pursuit  that  enobles  and  elevates  the  mind, 
tranquilizes  the  system,  enhances  the  general 
health,  and  prolongs  life. 

Such  is  the  wonderful  sway  the  mind  holds  over 
the  body.  On  the  other  hand,  we  find  the  body  ex¬ 
citing  a  powerful  influence  on  the  mind ;  so  intense 
and  complete  that  leading  physiologists  believe  that 
the  latter  is  a  result  of,  and  entirely  dependent  on, 
the  former,  and  having  no  existence  independent 
thereof. 

The  microscope  has  poured  a  flood  of  light  on  dis¬ 
ease.  In  most  cases,  as  with  these  epidemics  and 
contagions,  a  specific  germ  is  introduced  into  the 
blood  and  multiplies,  feeding  on  the  vital  fluid.  If 
taken  into  the  system  of  a  saint  it  will,  by  multi¬ 
plication,  produce  the  disease,  just  as  certainly  as  in 
the  system  of  the  vilest  malefactor.  There  would  be 
more  reasonable  grounds  for  hoping  to  drive  a  hun¬ 
gry  tiger  away  by  mind  cure,  than  the  myriads  of 
microbes  that  swarm  in  a  drop  of  the  fever  patient’s 
blood,  or  the  microbes  in  the  lungs  of  a  consumptive. 

Then  is  the  system  of  mental  cure  a  sham  ?  No  ! 
It  claims  too  much.  When  millions  of  baccilli 


184 


CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE. 


swarm  in  the  lungs,  or  the  micrococus  brings  on 
fever,  shall  we  say  we  are  well,  that  the  mind,  as  a 
part  of  God,  can  not  be  sick,  and  as  the  body  is 
fathered  by  the  mind  it  can  not  be  ?  We  may  say 
this,  but  the  inexorable  logic  of  facts  refute  our 
opinions.  We  might  as  well  attempt  to  stay  the 
spring  of  the  tiger  by  an  effort  of  will. 

But  there  is  a  consideration  back  of  this.  By  the 
accumulation  of  an  endless  series  of  taints  of  body 
and  of  mind,  by  false  ideas  and  views  of  life,  the 
power  of  mind  over  the  body  can  not  be  compared 
with  what  it  would  be  in  a  perfect  state  of  right  liv¬ 
ing.  This  is  a  consideration  of  greatest  value,  for  it 
shows  us,  not  what  the  past  has  been,  but  what  the 
future  may  be. 

The  limits  of  the  power  of  the  mind  over  the  body 
are  not  known,  but  with  knowledge  it  ever  enlarges 
its  boundaries.  The  class  of  diseases  which  may  be 
regarded  as  essentially  corporal,  as  the  previously 
mentioned  contagions  produced  by  microbes,  the 
effects  of  ptomaines,  and  the  mineral  and  vegetable 
poisons,  has  its  limits  contracted  by  mental  influ¬ 
ences.  Individuals  in  the  most  terrible  contagions, 
although  in  contact  with  the  sick  and  dying,  physi¬ 
cians,  nurses  or  companions,  are  often  exempt. 
Their  systems  do  not  furnish  the  necessary  condi¬ 
tions  for  growth  of  the  disease  germs.  Such  individu¬ 
als  are  fearless ;  and  it  is  said  that  their  indifference 
to  danger  is  their  shield  of  protection  •  yet  it  is  often 
the  case  that  when  they  become  exhausted  by 
excessive  care,  they  fall  victims.  This  conclusion, 
however,  may  be  safely  drawn,  that  there  are  con¬ 
ditions  of  body  or  mind,  or  of  both,  invulnerable  to 
disease.  What  these  conditions  are  we  may  not 
now  know,  but  it  is  possible  to  know. 

In  these  cases  of  purely  physical  disease,  the  body 


HEALING  AGENCIES. 


185 


reacts  on  the  mind,  and  the  giving  way  of  the  will  is 
the  first  indication  of  the  approach  of  the  malady. 
It  is  folly  to  talk  of  the  will  overcoming  a  disease 
that  lias  insiduously  sapped  its  foundation.  This  is 
not  saying  that  were  the  wrong  conditions  of  living 
righted,  and  the  taints  of  heredity  eliminated,  the 
power  of  the  will  would  not  he  able  to  maintain  the 
body  against  all  succeeding  influences.  But  to  reach 
that  perfect  state  will  require  many  generations  of 
rightly  directed  culture. 

If  grief,  anger,  or  excessive  joy  are  able  to  vitiate 
secretions,  and  cause  sickness  and  death,  a  happy 
frame  of  mind,  intellectual  exertion  and  moral  ex¬ 
cellence  tend  to  the  perfect  health  of  these  secretions. 
Health  is  a  condition  to  be  gained  and  kept  by  care¬ 
ful  observance  of  its  laws,  and  these  laws  are  of  the 
physical  as  well  as  mental  being. 

Whatever  truth  there  is  in  these  newly  named 
theories  of  healing,  is  identically  the  same  as  that 
claimed  by  the  mesmerists  and  magnetists.  The 
process,  the  cause  and  effect,  are  the  same  under 
the  name  of  Christian  Science  as  that  of  mesmer¬ 
ism.  In  the  large  class  of  diseases  called  nervous, 
the  soothing  influence  of  another  mind  is  of  un¬ 
measured  benefit.  Even  the  hope  aroused  that  some 
mind  is  exciting  its  will  to  relieve,  is  beneficial. 
The  strengthened  will  and  imagination  are  wonder¬ 
fully  healing  agencies.  While  the  influence  of 
the  mind  over  the  body  is  admitted  without  con¬ 
tradiction  so  long  as  the  former  is  connected  with 
the  lattei\  the  limitations  of  the  physical  world 
must  be  felt.  There  is  a  sickness  of  the  mind, 
and  of  the  body,  and  over  the  latter  the  mind  has 
not  full  control.  Yet  with  a  race  freed  from  hered¬ 
itary  taint,  having  for  generations  obeyed  the 
laws  of  health  until  its  conditions  are  fixed  by 


186 


CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE. 


heredity,  it  may  not  be  said  what  the  power  of  the 
mind  may  be. 

If  the  mother  can  stamp  her  unborn  child  with 
.the  monstrosity  she  fancies  in  her  fright;  if 
she  can  impart  the  insane  thirst  for  stimulants 
'and  the  fiendish  hate  and  cruelty  of  savages, 
might  she  not  by  glorified  conditions,  exalted  mo¬ 
tives,  and  the  over-sliadowing  consciousness  that 
her  mind  is  divine,  the  creator  of  an  immortal 
being,  endow  the  child  with  angelic  qualities  and 
make  it  a  divine  being  ?  The  children  of  many 
generations  of  such  mothers,  what  exalted  spir¬ 
itual  and  intellectual  attainment  would  be  their 
inheritance ! 

Nor  should  the  mother  alone  be  held  responsible,  as 
has  been  the  custom.  Divine  motherhood  is  linked 
with  divine  fatherhood,  the  opposite  element,  but  of 
equal  value.  The  germinal  impulse  carries  with  it 
all  that  has  entered  into  the  lives  of  remotest 
parental  ancestors,  and  the  recipient  mother  acts 
upon  it,  and  is  reacted  on,  until  her  entire  being, 
physical  and  spiritual,  is  modified.  However  grand 
the  ideal  excellence  of  the  future,  it  is  not  realized 
in  the  present,  and  may  not  be  for  ages  to  come. 
The  present  race  of  men  are  born  Avitli  the  sins  of  all 
the  past  stamped  into  their  constitutions.  It  is  folly 
to  teach  that  there  is  no  sickness  except  in  the 
mind  ;  idle  to  teach  faith  can  cure  disease,  the  seeds 
of  which  Avere  planted  unnumbered  generations  ago, 
and  groAvn  rankly  from  parent  to  child.  Purity, 
true  nobility  of  life,  spiritual  culture,  devotion  to 
right,  and  obedience  to  the  laws  of  health  may  be 
accepted  and  the  ideal  attempted,  but  not  fully 
realized  now. 

Meanwhile,  old  methods  must  not  be  wholly  dis¬ 
carded.  Old  remedies  can  not  be  safely  cast  aside. 


DEATH  COMES  TO  ALL. 


187 


The  lame  must  have  their  staff  and  crutch  until 
strong  enough  to  walk  alone. 

Conclusion. — The  Ideal  may  be  sketched  in  our 
fond  fancy,  and  the  attempt  to  realize  it  began  by 
living  a  higher,  nobler,  purer  life.  Know  we  what 
this  means  ?  It  means  more  than  simple  living. 
There  is  everything  beyond  that.  What  this  means 
will  be  best  comprehended  by  referring  to  the  pre¬ 
ceding  pages,  where  it  is  taught  that  there  is  a 
thought-atmosphere,  from  which  sensitive  minds  re¬ 
ceive  a  glorious  flood  of  inspiration.  Magnetism, 
Mesmerism,  Hypnotism,  or  the  states  of  healing  by 
Faith  or  Christian  Science  are  but  the  temporary 
approaches  to  that  one  condition  of  sensitiveness. 
In  that  condition  great  changes  may  be  affected  in 
the  vital  forces  promotive  of  the  normal  functions  of 
the  various  organs,  as  fear,  grief,  remorse,  etc.,  may 
disturb  their  healthy  action,  and  induce  pathological 
changes  in  them. 

Death  will  come  to  all  physical  forms  sooner  or 
later,  for  it  is  as  necessary  to  the  fulfillment  of  our 
destiny  as  to  the  transformation  of  the  caterpillar 
to  the  butterfly;  but  disease  and  all  the  sufferings, 
losses,  and  disappointments  in  its  train,  may  be,  and 
will  be,  eliminated,  when  mortal  life  is  so  ordered  that 
'TTwiTI  constantly  walk  in  the  shadow  of  spiritual 
forces. 

Then  sickness  will  be  regarded  as  a  mark  of  ignor¬ 
ance,  if  not  a  crime. 


188  WHAT  THE  IMMORTAL  STATE  MUST  BE. 


What  the  Immortal  State  Must  Be. 


The  Lead  of  the  Argument. — In  pursuing  the 
study  of  the  subjects  presented  in  the  preceding 
pages,  the  student  often  catches  a  glipse  of  an  intelli¬ 
gent  force  existing  after  the  death  of  the  physical 
being.  This  came  through  the  facts  presented  by 
hypnotism,  somnambulism,  trance,  clairvoyance, 
thought-transference,  dreams,  and  the  appearance 
of  the  deceased  to  near  friends  at  a  distance,  at  the 
time  of,  or  soon  after,  the  hour  of  dissolution. 

The  continuance  of  existence  beyond  the  grave 
has  been  made  to  depend  on  belief  in  certain  dog¬ 
mas,  or  at  least  the  condition  of  that  life  has  been 
made  thus  dependent  by  the  religious  systems  of  the 
world.  Now  that  science  encroaches  on  the  realm  of 
faith,  and  these  dogmas  are  questioned,  and  immor¬ 
tality  which  seemingly  rests  on  and  is  supported  by 
them,  becomes  doubtful ;  yet,  if  it  be  a  fact  that  man 
has  a  spirit,  which  is  immortal,  this  is  the  most  over¬ 
shadowing  fact  in  the  universe;  one  of  profoundest 
interest  and  most  consonant  with  the  desires  of  the 
human  heart.  Around  it  gather  our  fondest  hopes 
and  brightest  dreams ;  by  it  the  seeming  disparity 
and  injustice  of  this  life  are  compensated  ;  the  tear¬ 
ful  eye  is  dried  ;  the  broken  heart  finds  balm,  and  the 
burdens  of  time  and  place  cast  aside,  and  the  possi¬ 
bilities  of  the  aspiring  spirit  may  be  realized.  It  is 
an  unfailing  staff  in  the  hands  of  those  who  mourn 
the  loved  and  lost,  offering  the  only  adequate  con¬ 
solation  in  the  cruel  hour  when  we  stand  by  the 
couch  of  death,  feeling  that,  beyond,  darkness 


BELIEF  IN  IMMORTALITY  A  CURSE. 


189 


gathers  thick  and  broods  over  a  sea  of  eternal 
silence,  from  which  only  echo  responds  to  our  call 
of  the  name  of  the  departed.  Then  it  is  that  hope 
lifts  our  hearts  from  despair,  and  a  positive  assur¬ 
ance  of  the  cc  ntinuity  of  life  is  worth  all  else  in  the 
world. 

The  Belief  in  Immortality  lias  been  made  a 
Curse. — This  belief,  so  full  of  delight  and  rainbowed 
with  anticipations,  has  been  made,  from  the  dawn 
of  man’s  religious  nature,  the  means  of  inflicting 
unspeakable  tortures,  both  of  mind  and  body.  Self¬ 
ishness  thrust  the  priest  between  man  and  the  in¬ 
visible  world  of  spirit,  and  made  immortality  the 
instrument  wherewith  it  could  rule  with  diabolical 
despotism  over  mankind.  Even  when  the  rain¬ 
maker  shook  his  rattling  calabash  at  the  sky,  and  be- 
seeched  the  moisture-giving  clouds  to  send  down  rain, 
the  priestly  order  had  fast  hold  on  the  superstitious 
savage ;  and  in  all  the  transformations  of  history, 
surging  with  the  coming  and  going  of  countless  gen¬ 
erations  and  the  ebb  and  flow  of  empires,  never  for  a 
moment  has  this  grip  been  loosened.  The  power  of 
the  temporal  niler  has  been  second  to  that  of  the 
class  who  held  the  keys  of  life  beyond  the  grave. 
What  if  the  king  could  cast  into  a  dungeon,  con¬ 
demn  to  the  cross  or  the  flames  ?  That  were  pain 
for  a  moment,  or,  at  most,  for  the  few  years  of  this 
life ;  and  of  what  insignificance  these  short  years,  or 
the  most  terrible  tortures  human  ingenuity  could  in¬ 
vent,  to  the  infinite  tortures  extending  through  an 
eternal  existence  ?  Pharoah  might  command  Egypt 
to-day,  but,  to-night,  his  spirit  would  be  summoned 
before  the  tribunal  of  the  Dead ;  and  those  austere 
priestly  judges  would  decide  whether  he  be  cast  to 
the  crocodiles  of  the  Nile 'to  become  extinct,  or 


190 


CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE. 


again,  clad  in  liis  mummified  body,  resurrected  and 
purified,  a  companion  of  the  gods. 

What  a  position  for  an  ignorant  man  !  Immortality 
is  the  Promethean  curse,  enabling  the  vultures  to 
inflict  never-ending  torments.  The  sweetest  boon  is 
oblivion,  and  that  is  denied.  The  sun  may  fade  from 
the  heavens  and  the  stars  cease  to  shine;  but  the 
spirit  can  not  escape  its  doom,  and  will  not  have  ex¬ 
perienced  even  then  the  first  pangs  of  its  sufferings. 
Is  it  strange  that  men  went  wild  with  this  dreadful  be¬ 
lief  ?  Ignorant  men,  who  feared  the  unseen,  intan¬ 
gible  spirits  of  the  air  more  than  the  accumulated 
tortures  that  human  ruler  might  inflict,  saw  in  the 
priests  who  claimed  the  power  to  control  this  intan¬ 
gible  world,  who  held  the  keys  of  the  Great  Unseen, 
the  only  hope  of  escape.  How  well  that  order  has 
seized  its  vantage,  and,  fanning  the  flames  of  super¬ 
stition,  stifled  reason  and  led  poor  Humanity  over 
the  quaking  bog-lands  and  reeking  marshes  of 
myth-theology  ! 

This  life  is  nothing  compared  with  that  which  is 
to  come.  Its  most  innocent  pleasures  are  sins ;  for 
the  body  itself  is  sinful,  and  by  sin  man  came  into 
the  world.  Pressed  down  beneath  the  weight  of  uni¬ 
versal  disaster,  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  was  the  wail  of 
despair.  Take  no  heed  of  the  morrow.  Live  only 
for  to-day.  Give  all  to  the  poor.  Resist  not  the 
tyrant  wrong.  This  life  is  a  vale  of  tears,  and  the 
eye  that  weeps  most  shall  be  the  brightest  in  glory 
in  the  life  which  is  to  come.  0  Jesus,  on  thy  cross, 
what  infinite  misery  has  come  from  this  misconcep¬ 
tion  of  thy  teachings !  Men,  believing  that  their  immor¬ 
tal  spirits  were  chained  to  sinful  bodies,  rushed  in 
herds  to  the  mountain  cave  or  lonely  desert,  and,  by 
fasting  and  thirst,  by  hair-cloth  garments  wearing 
through  the  flesh  to  the  bone,  by  flagellation  and 


SPOTLESS  LIVES. 


191 


daily  crucifixion,  sought  to  expiate  the  sins  of  the 
body,  and  enter  the  next  life  purified. 

Believing  in  an  immortal  life,  they  sought  to  force 
their  belief  on  others,  and  pi’oselyte  by  sword  and 
torture.  Dogmatism  grew  rankly  luxuriant  in  this 
hot-bed  of  ignorance  and  superstition.  Humanity 
was  bound  to  the  wheel ;  and  ingenuity  exhausted 
its  skill  in  demoniacal  inventions  whereby  severer 
pangs  might  be  evoked,  that  through  physical  suf¬ 
fering  the  spirit  might  gain  purification.  Poor 
humanity  might  well  exclaim,  “  Blessed  be  oblivion 
to  this  curse  of  Immortality  !  ” 

Not  to  lead  a  happy  and  perfect  life,  but  to  avoid 
the  pangs  of  hell,  to  escape  the  consequences  of 
original  sin,  was  the  object  to  which  all  energies 
were  directed.  And  there  was  obligation  to  propa¬ 
gate  this  belief  until  received  by  all  the  world.  Out 
of  this  doctrine  came  centuries  of  .persecution, 
such  as  the  heathen  world  never  dreamed  of.  If 
your  relative  or  friend  accepted  what  you  regarded 
erroneous  dogmas,  which  would  send  him  to  eternal 
torment  would  it  not  be  plain  duty  for  you  to  use 
every  means  to  persuade  and  convince  him,  even  if 
necessary,  by  force  ?  For  should  you,  in  last  ex¬ 
tremity,  destroy  his  body,  what  fleeting  conse¬ 
quence,  if  you  saved  thereby  his  soul ! 

The  savage,  having  killed  his  enemy,  trembles  at 
the  thought  that  the  spirit  has  escaped,  and  may 
work  untold  mischief.  He  sits  down  at  the  can-* 
nibal  feast,  that,  by  eating  the  body,  he  may  absorb 
the  spirit,  and  thus  be  doubly  avenged,  by  blotting 
out  his  foe,  by  making  his  body  and  spirit  a  part  of 
himself. 

Noble  and  spotless  lives  have  grown  out  of  Christi¬ 
anity,  as  out  of  other  systems  of  religion,  as  beautiful 
lilies  grow  out  of  the  slime;  but  they  grew  in  defi- 


192 


CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE. 


ance  of  its  teachings,  which  make  this  life  of  no 
value  compared  with  the  next.  As  all  religions 
rest  on  the  foundation  of  belief  in  a  future  life, 
so  all  the  religious  wars  which  have  cursed  man¬ 
kind  are  referable  to  it ;  all  persecutions ;  all  the 
unutterable  sufferings,  physical  and  spiritual,  which 
have  made  the  centuries  one  long  night  of  agony. 
It  has  blotted  the  star  of  hope  from  the  heavens, 
and  filled  the  vaulted  darkness  with  the  hitter  wails 
of  despair. 

Humanity  rolling  onward  in  a  vast  river,  to  plunge 
over  the  crags  of  death  into  a  bottomless  pit  of  eter¬ 
nal  agony,  and  the  best  that  Christianity  has  offered, 
or  can  offer,  is  eternal  psalm-singing  to  golden  harps. 
“  Saving  souls  ”  has  been  the  theme  of  the  Christian 
world  for  nearly  two  thousand  years,  and  various 
have  been  the  means  employed.  Dungeon,  rack, 
the  flames,  social  ostracism — how  shall  I  find  space 
to  catalogue  the  endless  names  of  methods  which 
curdle  the  blood  at  bare  mention !  The  cannibal, 
feasting  on  his  foe,  is  engaged  in  the  honorable  effort 
of  saving  a  soul,  and  the  priestly  torturer  is  doing 
the  same.  The  Brunos  were  chained  amid  the  fagots’ 
flame,  to  save  their  souls  and  the  souls  of  others  led 
astray  by  their  doctrines.  Go  down  into  the  dimly 
lighted  tribunal  hall,  where  God’s  vicegerents  sit  in 
judgment.  Before  them  stands  one  gone  astray 
in  belief.  There  is  no  argument  of  words.  On  the 
table  is  a  little  thimble  with  a  screw  at  one  side. 
The  heretic  places  his  fingers  therein,  and  the  judges 
turn  the  screws  down  into  the  tender  nails.  The 
compressed  lips  grow  white,  the  veins  knot  on  the 
temples,  beaded  sweat  gathers  on  the  brow,  as 
slowly  down  pierces  the  relentless  steel,  until  at  last, 
human  endurance  yields,  and  the  trembling  lips 
gasp,  ‘‘Dear  Christ,  I  believe  !  ”  Then  turn  back  the 


TRUTH  IS  THE  “  GOLDEN  MEAN. 


193 


screws,  ring  the  bells,  and  rejoice  with  great  joy;  for 
a  soul  is  saved  ! 

From  that  hall,  go  down  a  flight  of  stone  steps  to 
another  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  where  the  walls 
are  reeking  with  mold,  and  the  lamp  darkens  in  the 
foul  vapor.  Tread  with  care  on  the  slippery  floors, 
for  the  slime  of  years  has  gathered ;  and  now  we  have 
reached  a  great  stone,  which  we  can  turn  back  like  a 
trap-door,  and  reach  an  opening.  Lower  your  lamp, 
feebly  burning  in  the  fetid  atmosphere.  There  are 
walls  of  stone,  there  is  stone  for  a  floor.  It  is  like  a 
jug  without  an  outlet,  except  at  the  top.  At  the  bot¬ 
tom  is  something  moving,  living  !  Hush  !  It  moans 
and  has  speech !  An  iron  ring  wears  the  bleed¬ 
ing  ankle  to  the  bone,  to  the  ring  is  a  chain, 
and  the  other  end  of  the  chain  is  fastened  to  the 
floor.  What  monstrous  crime  has  this  man  com¬ 
mitted  that  he  should  thus  suffer  ?  Nothing,  except 
he  has  thought  for  himself — is  lost;  and  his  judges 
are  making  the  desperate  attempt  to  save  his  soul ! 

Saving  souls,  not  the  life  here,  but  that  which  is  to 
come,  has  been  the  blight  and  curse  of  mankind. 
The  doctrine  of  “one  world  at  a  time,”  and  the  pre¬ 
sent  supreme,  is  a  reaction  against  this  essentially 
vicious  dogma.  Neither  extreme  maybe  true;  for 
the  truth  is  the  “golden  mean,”  which  makes  the 
future  life  a  continuity  of  this,  carrying  forward  all 
its  ideals  to  full  realization,  and  making  the  spiritual 
realm  held  in  abeyance  to  as  fixed  and  unchange¬ 
able  laws  as  the  material  world. 

By  knowledge,  man  has  been  led  out  of  the  fogs 
to  the  highlands  of  free  thought,  and  aroused  from 
the  nightmare  of  theology,  which  for  ages  held  him  in 
thraldom.  Those  were  the  ag§$  wheij,  God  and  Christ 
were  inwrought  into  the  Constitution  of  the  State, 
and  the  Holy  Bible  was  the  foundation  of  the  law. 


194 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


Those  were  the  ages  of  St.  Bartholomew  massacres, 
of  autos-da-fe,  of  the  rack  and  the  fagot.  Those  were 
the  ages  when  the  day  was  darkened  by  the  smoke 
of  burning  cities,  and  the  fair  fields  gleamed  ivhite 
with  the  bones  of  the  slain.  Those  were  the  ages 
when  the  whole  Christian  world  engaged  itself  in 
saving  souls ! 

A  Jesus  may  suffer  on  the  cross ;  not  only  one,  but 
ten  thousand  may  die,  admirable  in  self-sacrifice 
and  examples  of  firm  adhesion  to  their  sense  of  duty; 
but,  for  saving  souls,  their  sacrifice  is  lost ;  for  they 
suffer  for  a  misconception  of  the  plan  of  the  world. 
Man  has  never  been  lost,  and  can  not  be  lost,  and 
hence  can  not  be  saved  by  the  blood  of  one  or  ten 
thousand  sacrifices. 

If  the  future  life  is  a  continuity  of  this,  then  the 
perfection  of  religion  is  the  making  of  this  life  per¬ 
fect.  Not  by  crucifixion  of  the  body,  not  by  suf¬ 
fering  or  disappointment,  but  by  complete  and  har¬ 
monious  culture,  can  this  be  accomplished. 

The  New  Method. — To  solve  the  problem  of  im¬ 
mortality  by  the  methods  of  Science,  to  bring  it  up 
from  the  marshlands  of  conjecture  to  the  region  of 
absolute  knowledge,  belongs  to  the  present  age  and 
generation.  It  is  a  task  they  can  and  must  accom¬ 
plish.  It  has  for  so  many  ages  been  the  fertile  field 
of  superstition,  that  it  seems  impossible  to  disen¬ 
tangle  it  from  its  unsatisfactory  wrappings.  The 
investigation  must  commence  with  the  physical 
man  as  the  basis  of  the  spiritual,  as  through  and  by 
means  of  the  body  he  is  related  to  the  physical  world. 
He  is  the  superlative  being ;  the  last,  greatest  and 
yet  incomplete  effort  of  creative  energy.  All  de¬ 
partments  of  science  gather  around  him  as  a  center, 


UNTUTORED  MINDS. 


195 


and  to  have  perfect  knowledge  of  him  is  to  compre¬ 
hend  the  universe. 

In  the  earliest  ages ;  in  the  very  childhood  of  the 
race,  the  momentous  question  was  asked :  What  am 
I  ?  The  solution  was  felt  to  be  fraught  with  mo¬ 
mentous  consequences  not  only  in  this  life  but  the 
interminable  future  which  was  vaguely  shadowed  in 
the  mind  of  savage  man.  The  answers  given  became 
the  foundations  of  the  great  religious  systems  of  the 
world.  The  conjecture  of  untutored  minds  was  re¬ 
ceived  as  the  true  system  of  causation,  and  growing 
hoary  with  age  arrogated  to  itself  infallible  author¬ 
ity,  and  required  implicit  faith,  and  the  exercise  of 
reason,  only,  in  making  palatable  the  requirements 
of  that  faith.  Conceived  in  an  age  when  nature  was 
an  unknown  realm,  when  science  opened  her  mys¬ 
teries  to  the  understanding,  and  one  by  one,  dogmas 
claiming  infallibility  were  shown  to  be  false,  there 
of  necessity  was  antagonism  and  conflict.  I  do  not 
propose  to  enlarge  on  the  theological  aspect  of  this 
subject  more  than  incidentally.  That  treatment  has 
grown  “  stale,  flat  and  unprofitable,”  for  every  drop 
of  vital  juice  it  contained  has  been  extracted  long 
ago.  The  interminable  sects,  wrangling  over  the 
dogmatic  solution  of  this  vital  question  of  man's 
origin  and  destiny,  arriving  at  nothing  determinate, 
wrangling  with  each  other  and  themselves,  are  not 
incentives  to  beguile  the  earnest  truth-seeker  to  fol¬ 
low  their  paths.  If  metaphysical  theology  contained 
the  germ  of  a  truthful  solution,  satisfaction  would 
have  resulted  ages  ago,  and  the  mind,  reposing  con¬ 
tented  with  the  answer,  would  have  employed  its 
energies  in  other  directions.  Instead,  there  is  rest¬ 
lessness,  turmoil,  conflict  and  indecision,  and  never 
has  been  an  answer  so  broad  and  deep  in  Catholicity 
of  truth  as  to  meet  the  demand.  If  science  fails  also, 


196 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


it  can  not  retrieve  its  failure  by  assumed  infallibility. 
Its  teachings  are  ever  tentative  and  prophecies  of 
final  triumph,  as  the  grandest  study  of  mankind  is 
man,  the  crowning  work  of  science  is  the  solution  of 
this  vexed  question. 

Physical  Man. — First,  as  most  tangible  and  ob¬ 
vious  in  tins  investigation,  is  the  physical  man, 
the  body,  the  temple  of  the  psyche.  The  student, 
even  when  imbued  with  the  doctrine  of  materialism, 
arises  from  the  study  of  the  physical  machine  with 
wonder  and  surprise  akin  to  awe,  declaring  man  to 
be  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  we  die,  but  that  we  live. 
The  rupture  of  a  nerve  fiber,  the  obstruction  of  a 
valve,  the  momentary  cessation  of  breath,  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  a  mote  at  some  vital  point,  brings  this 
most  complex  structure  to  eternal  rest.  By  what 
constant  oversight,  by  what  persistency  of  repara¬ 
tion  is  it  preserved  from  ruin  ! 

This  physical  man  is  an  animal,  amenable  to  the 
laws  of  animal  growth.  His  body  is  the  type  of 
which  theirs  are  imperfect  copies.  From  two  or 
three  mineral  substances  his  bones  are  crystalized, 
and  articulated  as  the  bones  of  all  vertebrate  ani¬ 
mals,  and  over  them  the  muscles  are  extended. 
From  the  amphioxus,  too  low  in  the  scale  of  being  to 
be  called  a  fish ;  a  being  without  organs,  without  a 
brain;  little  more  than  an  elongated  sack  of  gela¬ 
tinous  substance,  through  which  a  white  line  marks 
the  position  of  the  spinal  cord  and  the  future  spinal 
axis ;  there  is  a  slow  and  steady  evolution  to  the  per¬ 
fected  skeleton  of  man.  His  osseous  structure  is  the 
type  of  all.  The  fin  of  the  fish,  the  huge  paddle  of 
the  whale,  the  cruel  paw  of  the  tiger,  the  hoof  of 
the  horse,  the  wing  of  the  bird,  and  the  wonderfully 


PHYSICAL  MAN. 


197 


flexible  hand  of  man,  so  exquisite  in  adaptations  to 
be  taken  as  an  unqualified  evidence  of  design,  are  all 
fashioned  out  of  the  same  elementaiy  bones,  after 
one  model.  The  change  of  form  to  meet  the  wants 
of  their  possessors,  results  from  the  relative  enlarge¬ 
ment  or  atrophy  of  one  or  more  of  these  elements. 
When  the  fleshy  envelope  is  stripped  away,  it  is 
astonishing  how  alike  these  apparently  divergent 
forms  really  are.  In  the  whale  the  flesh  unites  the 
huge  bones  of  the  fingers  and  produces  a  broad,  oar¬ 
like  fin;  in  the  tiger  the  nails  become  retractile 
talons ;  in  the  bird  some  of  the  fingers  are  atrophied, 
while  others  are  elongated  to  support  the  feathers 
which  are  to  offer  resistance  to  the  air  in  flight ;  in 
the  horse  the  bones  of  the  fingers  are  consolidated, 
and  the  united  nails  appear  in  the  hoof. 

If  there  exists  such  perfect  similarity  in  the  bony 
structure  of  man  to  the  animal  world,  the  muscular 
system  for  which  it  furnishes  support  offers  the  same 
likeness.  Trace  any  muscle  in  the  human  body  from 
its  origin  to  its  termination,  mark  the  points  where 
it  seizes  the  bones,  the  function  it  performs,  and  then 
dissect  the  most  obscure  or  disreputable  member  of 
the  vertebrate  kingdom,  and  you  will  find  the  same 
muscle  performing  the  same  function.  The-talons  of 
the  tiger  are  extended  and  flexed  by  muscles,  similar 
to  those  which  give  flexibility  to  the  human  hand, 
and  the  same  elements  are  traceable  in  the  ponder¬ 
ous  paddle  of  the  whale. 

More  vital  than  the  bony  framework,  or  the  mus¬ 
cles  to  which  it  gives  support,  is  the  nervous  system, 
seemingly  not  only  the  central  source  of  vital  power, 
but  the  means  of  union  and  sympathetic  relation  of 
every  cell  and  fiber  of  the  entire  body. 

The  brain  lias  been. aptly  compared  to  a  central 
telegraphic  office,  and  the  nerves  to  the  extended 


198 


THE  IMMORTAL  1ST  A  TE. 


wires,  which  hold  in  communication  and  direct  re¬ 
lation  all  the  organs,  and  from  which  the  functions 
of  each  are  directed. 

The  nervous  system  is  the  bridge  which  spans  the 
chasm  between  matter  and  spirit,  and  the  battle  be¬ 
tween  Materialism  and  Spiritualism  must  be  fought 
not  only  with  brain,  but  in  the  province  of  brain. 
However  we  may  regard  the  spiritual  being  as  an 
independent  entity,  when  we  study  this  subject  from 
the  physical  side,  we  are  compelled  to  accept  the  in¬ 
tricate  blending  of  the  influence  of  the  brain  on  the 
expression  of  that  being,  during  its  connection  there¬ 
with.  The  issue  directly  stated  is  this :  Does  the 
brain  yield  mind  as  a  result  of  organic  changes 
in  its  cells  and  fibers,  or  is  mind  a  manifestation 
through  and  by  means  of  the  brain  of  something 
beyond  and  superior  ? 

“TtTs  admitted  by  profound  thinkers  that  the  brain 
and  its  functions  is  an  unfathomed  mystery,  and 
that  investigators  must  be  content  with  what  may 
be  called  secondary  causes  and  effects.  Phosphorus 
and  sulphur  may  be  essential  for  the  activity  of 
brain  tissue,  yet  it  is  absurd  to  claim  that  a  super¬ 
abundance  of  these  elements  wrote  an  Illiad,  or 
solved  the  problem  of  gravitation.  It  is  not  phos¬ 
phorus,  or  carbon,  or  nitrogen,  however  vigorously 
oxidized,  which  pulsates  in  the  emotions  of  friend¬ 
ship  or  love;  that  feels  and  thinks  and  knows  ;  that 
recollects  the  past,  anticipates  the  future,  and  reaches 
out  in  infinite  aspirations  for  perfection. 

The  actions  of  thought  on  the  brain,  the  effort  com¬ 
pelling  the  body  to  serve  the  bidding  of  the  spirit< 
may  consume  this  element  and  many  others,  as  the 
movement  of  an  engine  consumes  the  coal  and 
wastes  the  steam  ;  but  the  coal  and  the  steam  are 


PROTOPLASM. 


199 


only  the  means  whereby  mind  impresses  itself  on 
matter. 

The  physicist  studies  the  brain  as  one  wholly  un¬ 
acquainted  with  an  engine  would  study  that  mach¬ 
ine,  and  mistaking  it  for  a  living  being,  might  be 
supposed  to  do.  He  would  observe  its  motion,  and, 
weighing  the  coal  consumed  and  the  products  of 
combustion,  would  say  that  they  appeared  in  steam, 
which  after  propelling  the  piston  was  waste.  The 
design  of  the  engine,  the  effect  of  these  combinations 
and  this  waste,  this  observer  would  claim  to  be  the 
guiding  intelligence.  And  he  would  further  argue 
that  so  much  coal  in  the  grate,  so  much  water  in  the 
boiler  and  there  appears  an  equivalent  of  intelli¬ 
gence,  and  the  waste  may  be  predetermined  by 
chemical  formulae. 

Until  the  threshold  of  the  functional  activity  of 
the  brain  and  the  nervous  system  have  been  passed, 
conclusions  should  be  modestly  expressed. 

If  it  be  claimed  that  man  is  a  natural  being,  oi’ig- 
inated  and  sustained  by  natural  laws,  that  he  came 
without  miracle,  then  do  we  unite  the  margins  of  the 
human  and  animal  kingdoms,  and  are  satisfied  with 
placing  man  at  the  head  of  the  animal  world.  An  in¬ 
terminable  and  unbroken  series  of  beings  extends  in 
a  gradual  gradation  downwards,  until  the  organs  by 
which  the  phenomena  of  life  are  manifested  are  lost 
one  by  one,  the  senses  disappear,  until  we  arrive  at 
what  has  been  aptly  termed  “  protoplasm,”  not  an 
i  organized  form,  but  simply  orqanizable_  matter,  or 
matter  from  which  organic  forms  can  be  produced. 

If,  in  reviewing  this  chain  of  beings,  slowly  arising 
by  constant  evolution,  we  closely  examine  several 
of  its  consectuive  links,  we  shall  find  that  while  each 
ascending  link  is  apparently  complete,  yet  it  is  only 
the  germ  out  of  which  the  next  is  evolved  in  super- 


200 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


ior  forms.  Each  link  is  prophecy  of  future  super¬ 
iority.  The  fulfillment  of  one  age  can  be  traced 
until  man  appears  as  the  last  term  in  the  physical 
series. 

They  who  teach  this  doctrine  of  evolution,  which  is 
to  life  what  the  law  of  gravitation  is  to  worlds,  also 
teach  that  united  with  the  doctrine  of  “  conservation 
of  force,”  the  hope  of  immortality  becomes  a  dream. 

What  a  sham  they  make  of  creation  !  What  a  tur¬ 
moil  for  no  result !  Infinite  ages  of  progress  and 
evolution,  during  which  elemental  matter,  by  force 
of  inherent  laws,  sought  to  individualize  itself  and 
incarnate  its  forces  in  living  beings ;  ages  of  struggle 
upwards  from  low  to  high,,  from  sensitive  to  sen¬ 
tient,  from  sentient  to  intellectual,  from  zoophyte  to 
man !  And  now,  having  accomplished  this,  and 
given  man  exquisite  susceptibility  of  thought,  of 
love,  of  affection ;  making  him  the  last  factor  in  the 
series,  he  is  doomed  to  perish  !  What  is  gained  by 
this  travail  of  the  ages  ?  Would  it  not  have  been  as 
well  had  the  series  stopped  with  the  huge  saurians  of 
of  the  primeval  slime,  or  the  mastodon  and  mam¬ 
moth  of  the  pre-historic  times,  as  with  the  man.  As 
each  factor  in  the  series  prophecies  future  forms,  so 
does  man  read  in  the  same  light,  prophecy-forms  be¬ 
yond.  They  can  not  be  in  the  line  of  greater  physi¬ 
cal  perfection,  for  in  the  days  of  Greece  and  Rome, 
man  was  as  perfect  physically,  as  is  seen  by  their 
sculptures,  as  to-day.  Ages  ago,  this  exceeding 
beauty  was  attained.  It  cannot  be  in  the  evolution 
of  a  being  superior  to  man,  for  as  in  each  lower  ani¬ 
mal  imperfect  organs  or  structures,  or  partially  em¬ 
ployed  functions,  are  improvable  and  perfected  by 
succeeding  forms,  in  man  the  architype  is  complete, 
and  no  partially  developed  organ  indicates  the  possi¬ 
bility  of  future  change. 


MAN  A  DUAL  BEING. 


201 


Progress  having  arrived  at  its  limits  with  the  body, 
changes  its  direction,  and  appears  in  the  advance- 
ment  of  mind.  Death  closes  the  career  of  individu¬ 
ality,  and  we  live  only  in  thoughts — our  selfhood  is 
absorbed  in  the  ocean  of  being.  Mankind  perfects 
as  a  whole,  and  the  sighed -for  millenium  is  coming 
bye-and-bye. 

Of  what  avail  is  it  to  us  if  future  generations  are 
wise  and  noble,  if  we  pass  into  nonenity  ?  Of  what 
avail  to  them  to  be  wise  and  noble,  if  life  is  only  the 
fleeting  hour  ?  Not  yet  can  we  believe  Nature  to  be 
such  a  sham— such  a  cruel  failure.  The  spirit  rebels 
against  the  supposition  of  its  mortality.  The  body  is 
its  habilament.  Shall  the  coat  be  claimed  to  be  the 
entire  man  ?  Shall  the  garments  ignore  the  wearer  ? 

This  is  the  animal  side  of  man.  Physically  com¬ 
posed  of  the  same  elements,  and  having  passed 
through  these  innumerable  changes,  he  is  an  epitome 
of  the  universe.  As  man  was  foreshadowed  in  re¬ 
motest  ages  as  the  crowning  type  in  the  series  of  or¬ 
ganic  life,  so  man  foreshadows  superior  excellence. 
Springing  out  of  his  physical  perfectibility,  arises  a 
new  world  of  spiritual  wants  and  aspirations,  unan¬ 
swered  and  unanswerable  in  mortal  life. 

Man  a  Dual  Being. — While  Theology,  Brahminical, 
Buddhistical  or  Christian,  teaches  that  man  is  an 
incarnate  spirit,  independent  of  the  physical  body, 
created  by  miracle,  supported  by  a  succession  of 
miracles,  and  saved  by  a  miracle  from  eternal  death, 
material  science,  as  at  present  taught  by  its  leading 
exponents,  wholly  ignores  his  spiritual  life,  and  de¬ 
clares  him  to  be  a  physical  being  only.  It  is  not  my 
purpose  to  reconcile  these  conflicting  views.  Truths 
never  require  reconciliation.  They  never  conflict ; 
and  if  the  results  of  two  different  methods  of  inves- 


202 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


tigation  are  at  variance,  one  or  the  other  is  in  error, 
or  both,  perchance,  and  the  only  reconciliation  is  the 
elimination  of  that  error.  The  egotisms  of  theology 
and  the  pride  of  science  array  their  votaries  in  oppo¬ 
sition,  while  the  truth  remains  unquestioned  in  the  un¬ 
explored  middle  ground.  Man  is  neither  a  spirit  nor 
a  body  •  he  is  the  intimate  union  of  both.  In  and 
through  his  physical  being,  the  spiritual  nature  is 
evolved  from  the  forces  of  the  elements  and  is  ex¬ 
pressed.  There  is  somewhat  more  enduring  than 
the  resultants  of  chemical  unions,  action  and  re¬ 
actions  in  his  physical  body.  Beneath  this  organic 
construction  is  that  which  remains,  to  which  it  is  the 
scatfolding  which  assists,  while  it  conceals  the  de¬ 
velopment  of  the  real  edifice. 

Paul,  the  most  profound  thinker  of  all  the  founders 
of  Christianity,  very  forcibly  and  clearly  expresses 
this  duality  when  he  makes  the  distinction  between 
“  the  celestial  body  ”  and  the  “terrestrial.”  In  mor¬ 
tal  life  these  are  united,  and  death  is  simply  their 
separation.  His  disciples  have  grossly  misunder¬ 
stood  and  mistaught  his  explanation.  The  terres¬ 
trial  body  cannot  inherit  eternal  life,  which  is  the 
birthright  of  the  celestial.  Death  is  the  severance 
of  the  cord  which  unites  these  bodies  in  the  seem¬ 
ingly  indivisible  web  of  earth-life.  The  terrestrial 
returns  to  the  elements  from  which  it  came;  the 
celestial  remains  individualized.  It  is  unusual  for 
writers  on  science  at  the  present  day  to  quote  the 
Bible  in  support  of  their  theories  ;  but  no  author  be¬ 
fore  Paul’s  time  or  since  has  given  a  more  complete 
philosophy  of  life,  and  a  key  wherewith  to  unlock 
the  secrets  of  the  grave. 

Definitions. — The  comparison  of  terms  has  led  to 
the  strangest  processes  of  reasoning,  and  the  classi- 


PREEXISTENCE. 


203 


fications  in  which  some  writers  delight,  have  served 
as  a  means  of  intellectual  gymnastics,  rather  than 
data  for  clear  reasoning.  In  the  threefold  division 
of  body,  soul  and  spirit,  by  using  the  two  last  terms, 
at  times  as  meaning  something  essentially  distinct, 
and  at  others,  as  synonymous  with  intelligence,  and 
each  other;  and  again  making  soul  and  body  the 
same,  a  most  admirable  means  for  the  jugglery  of 
disputation  is  furnished,  which  has  not  been  left 
unused,  and  by  which  the  discussion  of  this  subject 
has  been  befogged. 

There  is  the  physical  body,  and  the  spirit  to  which 
the  manifestations  of  mind  belong.  The  term  soul 
has  no  meaning,  except  as  synonymous  with  body 
or  spirit,  and  hence  is  discarded  in  this  discussion. 

Pre-existence. — It  has  been  taught  that  the  ego, 
the  immortal  part,  is  from  God,  and  at  death  returns 
to  God  who  gave  it.  The  eternal  existence  in  the 
past  of  spirits,  is  presupposed,  and  that  they  await 
the  development  of  bodies  for  them  to  enter,  and 
earth-life,  therefore,  to  them  is  a  probationary  state. 
The  history  of  this  theory  is  of  profound  interest,  as 
it  is  wrought  into  the  tissue  of  received  theology, 
and  its  beginning  traced  to  the  conjectures  of  primi¬ 
tive  man.  It  ignores  the  rule  of  law,  and  makes  the 
birth  of  every  child  a  miracle.  The  ancient  doc¬ 
trine  of  re-incarnation,  lately  revived,  meets  the 
same  objection.  A  spirit,  perfect  in  its  individual¬ 
ity,  through  a  germ  becomes  clad  in  flesh.  It  does 
not  do  this  because  the  mortal  state  is  preferable; 
for  the  spirit  constantly  desires  to  escape  from  its 
thraldom.  It  is  compelled  by  a  direct  mandate  of 
God  to  undergo  this  metamorphosis  as  a  punish¬ 
ment,  and  means  of  atonement.  According  to  this 
view,  the  development  of  man  becomes  entirely  dif- 


204 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


ferent  from  that  of  animals.  There  is  no  law,  order 
or  unity  of  organic  forms.  Creation  is  an  ever- 
enacting  miracle.  When  this  scheme  is  referred  to 
fixed  laws  in  the  spirit  realm,  the  known  causes 
acting  in  the  physical  world  are  but  transferred  to 
the  spiritual,  where  they  at  once  pass  beyond  recog¬ 
nition. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  with  such  speculations, 
an  explanation  having  any  claim  to  scientific  ac¬ 
curacy  has  nothing  in  common. 

Origin  of  Spirit. — If  there  is  an  immortal  spirit, 
whether  its  duration  be  eternal  or  measured  by 
time,  as  we  can  not  go  beyond  the  realm  of  law — 
by  which  we  mean  the  fixed  order  of  causation — 
it  must  date  its  beginning  with  that  of  the  body. 
The  history  of  the  development  of  the  germ  is  a 
correspondence  of  that  of  the  spirit.  If  the  parents 
have  immortal  spirits  as  well  as  mortal  bodies,  then 
while  their  physical  bodies  support  the  corporeal 
being,  their  spiritual  natures  must  in  an  equal 
measure  support  the  spirit  of  the  fetus,  and  the 
growth  of  its  dual  nature  be  similar,  both  receiving 
nourishment  from  the  mother.  The  two  forms 
mature  together;  one  pervading  and  being  the  exact 
copy  of  the  other. 

Objections. — As  the  processes  of  life  and  that  lower 
order  of  intelligence  known  as  instinct,  are  mani¬ 
fested  in  animals,  identically  the  same  as  they  are 
in  man,  and  by  the  wonderful  interelationship  ex¬ 
isting  between  all  the  members  of  the  animal  world, 
from  protozoa  to  man,  what  is  true  of  one  must  be 
true  of  all,  it  follows  that  if  it  is  necessary  to  evoke 
the  aid,  of  the  spirit  for  the  explanation  of  the  phen- 
emena  connected  with  man,  it  is  equally  necessary 


THE  KEYSTONE. 


205 


in  the  case  of  animals.  Granting  this,  the  next  step 
is  to  show  the  absurdity  of  the  idea  that  all  the 
infinitude  of  beings,  from  microbes  to  leviathans, 
have  a  life  beyond  the  evening  of  their  brief  day. 
The  issue  is  fairly  stated,  but  the  claim  regarded 
as  absurd  is  not  made.  All  may  have  spirits,  from 
the  lowest  to  the  highest,  holding  the  same  relations 
to  the  body  in  which  it  is  gestated  as  the  spirit  of 
man  holds  to  his  physical  form.  That  such  should 
be  the  case  is  a  necessity  of  the  position  taken  by  this 
work.  It  is  not,  however,  held,  nor  is  it  necessary 
that  it  should  be,  that  the  spirit  of  animals  is  im¬ 
mortal,  or  exist  after  the  death  of  the  body.  They 
have  not  attained  the  requisite  development,  which 
has  been  likened  to  an  arch  which  requires  the 
finish,  by  putting  in  place  of  the  keystone  before  the 
staging  on  which  it  rests  can  be  removed,  leaving  the 
arch  permanent.  If  this  staging  is  removed  before  the 
keystone  is  put  in  place,  the  entire  structure  falls  in 
ruins.  In  man,  the  arch  is  completed.  Yet,  as  the  ani¬ 
mal  merges  into  man  through  intermediate  forms — 
and  the  infant  knows  less  than  the  perfect  animal — the 
line  of  demarkation  is  drawn  with  difficulty.  It  is 
like  the  boundary  between  the  hill  and  its  valley: 
both  meet  somewhere;  but  no  one  can  say  where 
the  valley  begins  and  the  hill  ends.  A  certain 
degree  of  development  is  essential,  below  which 
spirit  cannot  exist  independently  of  the  physical' 
body,  and  above  which  this  is  possible.  Any  theory 
which  of  necessity  advocates  the  immortal  life  of 
animals  as  well  as  of  man,  fails  by  maintaining  that 
which  may  readily  be  proved  an  absurdity.  For  if 
the  intelligent  dog  or  elephant  have  existence  in  the 
future,  so  may  the  fish,  the  mollusk,  the  monad,  and 
even  the  speck  of  protoplasm,  which  loses  itself  in 
unorganic  matter.  This  was  put  forth  as  an  un- 


20G 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


answei’able  objection  to  the  immortality  of  the 
human  spirit,  for  it  was  said  one  or  the  other  horn 
of  the  dilemma  must  be  taken ;  for  as  there  is  no 
break  in  the  chain  of  beings,  between  man  and 
animals,  even  to  the  monad,  if  a  future  life  belongs 
to  him,  equally  is  it  an  inheritance  of  theirs;  and 
if  it  be  denied  them,  so  must  it  be  lost  to  him.  In 
mental  and  spiritual  attainment  there  is  a  gulf  be¬ 
tween  man  and  the  animal  world,  vastly  broader 
and  more  profound  than  is  required  to  give  him  the 
inheritance  of  immortality  which  is  also  theirs. 

In  time  this  gulf  is  as  wide  as  from  the  present 
to  several  millions  of  years  previous  to  the  glacial 
period.  Prof,  Wallace  is  so  astonished  at  the  differ¬ 
ence  between  the  brain  of  the  most  savage  man 
and  the  highest  animal,  that  he  declares  the  theory 
of  evolution,  which  he  was  first  to  promulgate,  while 
it  accounts  for  all  the  forms  of  life,  here  fails,  and 
that  man  stands  alone,  the  creature  of  another  crea¬ 
tion.  While  he  says  that  man  “May  even  have 
lived  in  the  miocene  or  eocene  period,  when  not  a 
single  mammal  was  identical  in  form  with  any  ex¬ 
isting  species/’  yet  he  does  not  place  the  origin  of 
man  at  a  sufficiently  remote  era  in  those  receding 
aeons  of  time. 

In  the  primitive  human  being,  thought  began  its 
conquest  of  the  world,  and  the  man  of  to-day  repre¬ 
sents  the  accumulation  of  all  experiences  since 
his  ancestors  fought  with  cunning  craft  the  huge 
megotherium,  and  disputed  for  supremacy  of  the 
tertiary  forests  with  palaeotherium,  and  other  mon¬ 
sters  of  that  age. 

In  time,  the  gulf  between  him  and  the  animal 
world  is  thus  widened,  and  in  size  of  brain,  which 
measures  as  a  psychic  metre,  the  growth  of  the  su¬ 
perior  life,  he  is  equally  distant.  It  has  been  remarked 


A  SPIRIT  NOT  NECESSARILY  IMMORTAL.  207 


that  the  brain  of  the  savage  was  so  much  larger 
than  the  exigencies  of  his  life  demanded,  that  it 
was  comparable  to  givin  ;  the  wing  of  an  eagle  to 
a  hedge  sparrow,  or  the  arm  of  a  tiger  to  a  mouse. 
Rightly  read,  this  proves  the  vast  duration  of  time 
during  the  differentiation  of  man  from  the  animals 
below  him.  Psychic  gro  wth  is  marked  by  enlarge¬ 
ment  of  brain,  and  as  long  ago  as  the  earliest  pre¬ 
served  geological  traces  of  humanity  are  found,  that 
organ  had  attained  a  size  and  form  about  equal  to 
that  of  the  present.  Its  attainments  have  become  so 
great  that  it  is  difficult  at  present  to  compare  its  in¬ 
telligent  manifestations  with  the  instinctive  desires 
of  animals.  The  brains  of  all  the  lower  types  in  cer¬ 
tain  essentials  of  organic  life  are  alike,  but  in  the 
great  lobes  which,  superimposed,  mark  the  degrees 
of  psychic  life,  the  human  being  stand  alone,  and  is 
human  because  of  the  mental  qualities  these  lobes  in¬ 
dicate. 

A  Spirit  Not  Necessarily  Immortal.— It  has  been 
said  by  a  writer  whose  sensitive  mind  had  received 
supernatural  light:  “Supposing  the  laws  governing 
our  spiritual  natures  operate  similarly  to  those  gov¬ 
erning  our  physical,  we  must  naturally  infer  that  the 
spiritual  forms  of  all  parts  of  life,  may  be  by  those 
laws  interpreted.  If  the  spirit  of  an  animal  has  not 
intelligence  to  obey,  and  the  spirit  of  man  wilfully 
disobeys,  will  not  the  law  eventually  destroy  such 
spirits  ?  The  sentient  notion  that  all  ignorant  and 
vile  spirits,  without  aspirations  for  anything  that  is 
good,  who  glory  in  wickedness  and  persist  in  the  viola¬ 
tion  of  law,  will  become  perfected  I  regard  as  false, 
for  such  must  go  on  in  a  career  which  ends  in  anni¬ 
hilation.”  This  writer  errs  in  the  cause  he  assigns 
for  the  continuous  individuality  of  spiritual  beings. 


208 


THE  IMMORTAL  ST  A  TE. 


He  places  it  on  moral  grounds,  making  it  depend¬ 
ent  on  moral  aspirations,  character  and  desires. 
Rather  is  it  dependent  on  development  as  an  en¬ 
tirety.  The  human  being,  after  a  certain  stage  of 
mental  growth,  receives  a  charter  to  eternal  life 
which  it  can  not  annul,  bearing  with  it  all  its  in¬ 
finite  consequences  and  responsibilities. 

In  the  “Arcana,”  Vol.  II.,  1864,  this  subject  is  thus 
treated : 

“  A  spirit  is  not  necessarily  immortal,  but  can  be¬ 
come  gradually  extinguished,  like  a  lamp  burning  for 
an  indefinite  time  and  then  going  out.  Such  is  the 
condition  of  the  lowest  races  of  mankind.  They  ex¬ 
ist  after  death  ;  but  with  them  there  is  no  progress, 
no  desire  for  the  immortal  state,  and  slowly,  atom 
by  atom,  they  are  absorbed  into  the  bosom  of  the 
universal  spirit-essence  as  the  spirit  of  the  animal 
is  immediately  after  death.” 

If  it  be  asked  at  what  age  the  spirit  of  man  retains 
its  identity,  it  may  be  said  in  reply,  that  no  certain 
date  can  be  given,  for  that  varies  with  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  parents.  Is  the  idiot  immortal  ?  The  an¬ 
swer  depends  on  the  circumstances,  the  degree  and 
cause  of  the  idiocy.  If  the  idiot  is  destitute  of  a  ray 
of  intelligence ;  if  it  is  only  a  voiceless,  thoughtless 
being,  the  inference  is  not  cheering,  and  the  possi¬ 
bilities  are  largely  in  favor  of  its  absorption  into  the 
bosom  of  the  universal  spirit-substance. 

A  sensitive  gave  his  testimony  on  this  subject 
as  it  came  under  his  observation  while  in  a  trance. 
Its  value  depends  on  the  credence  we  give  to  the 
revelations  received  from  that  state.  He  said  that 
while  in  the  unconscious  trance,  or  clairvoyant  state, 
the  dying  animal  and  dying  human  being  were  both 
presented  to  him,  and  he  saw  the  same  processes 
go  forward  in  both.  The  spirit  of  the  animal  floated 


A  BEGINNING  MUST  HAVE  AN  END. 


209 


above  the  dying  body  like  a  thin  cloud ;  and  while 
he  was  expecting  it  to  take  form  and  identity,  it 
dissolved  and  disappeared,  just  as  a  cloud  would  do 
in  a  summer  sky.  The  spirit  of  a  human  being 
arose  like  a  cloud  in  the  same  manner,  took  form 
and  identity,  and  became  a  counterpart  of  the  body 
it  had  left.  This  is  not  a  speculative  belief,  but 
demonstrative  by  the  revelations  of  trance. 

Must  Not  Immortality  Reach  Into  the  Past  as 

well  as  Into  the  Future?— A  far  more  potent  objec¬ 
tion  is  made  by  the  Metaphysician.  To  him  the  pre¬ 
ceding  arguments  that  the  spirit  can  not  have  existed 
prior  to  birth,  and  has  a  common,  a  cotemporary  ori¬ 
gin  with  the  physical  body,  is  fatal  to  its  existence 
after  death.  He  says:  Whatever  has  a  beginning  must 
have  an  end  ;  therefore,  when  it  is  asserted  that  the 
spirit  of  man  is  immortal,  it  follows  that  it  must  have 
always  pre-existed  ;  had  an  endless  past.  This  is  a 
startling  objection  and  held  to  be  unanswerable,  ex¬ 
cept  by  the  hypothesis  of  pre-existence  and  re-incar¬ 
nation,  which  maintain  that  the  spirit  is  an  inde¬ 
structible  entity,  constantly  rehabilitating  itself  in 
forms  of  flesh  ;  but  this  hypothesis  is  only  a  supposi¬ 
tion  made  in  the  childhood  of  the  race  to  meet  a 
doubt  and  objection.  In  an  age  of  accurate  thought 
it  seems  an  anachronism.  If  we  accept  the  doctrine  of 
t  evolution — and,  as  the  immediate  explanation  of  the 
phenomena  of  living  beings,  it  is  the  only,  and  a 
complete  explanation — then  we  must  also  receive  as 
true  the  corollary  that  instinct  and  intelligence  are 
evolved  out  of  the  transformations  of  living  beings, 
and  that  individualized  spirit,  if  there  be  such  an  en¬ 
tity,  must  be  the  last  link  in  the  vast  organic  series 
from  which  it  has  sprung  into  being.  In  other  words, 


210 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


with  an  indeterminable  future  it  has  had  a  determin¬ 
able  past.  If  the  spirit  has  existed  for  infinite  time 
before  its  incarnation  in  this  life,  it  has  had  infinite 
opportunity  for  progress,  and,  logically,  should  have 
attained  perfection.  Not  only  should ,  but  must  have 
become  perfect.  It  is  readily  observed  that  the  fact 
of  its  imperfection  necessitates  a  beginning,  and 
the  degree  of  its  imperfection  shows  the  nearness  or 
remoteness  of  its  starting  point.  If  it  be  held  that 
this  apparent  imperfection  is  the  resultant  of  the 
spirit’s  connection  with  matter,  it  must  be  remem¬ 
bered  that  the  theory  of  pre-existence  has  for  its 
object  to  account  for  the  evils  of  this  life,  and 
perfected  spiritual  beings,  such  as  all  must  be  after 
an  infinite  past,  would  have  no  need  of  incarnation 
to  attain  purity  or  excellence  already  theirs;  and 
should  they  enter  physical  bodies,  as  spirits,  accord¬ 
ing  to  this  doctrine,  they  would  not  be  contaminated 
or  degraded  by  their  contact  with  earth  and  earth- 
life,  but  would  glorify  it. 

With  the  physical  form  given  to  offspring  by  their 
parents  is  also  given  spiritual  entity  which  lives  after 
the  decay  of  that  body,  an  independent  being,  the 
center  of  multitudinous  forces. 

Is  this  visionary  ?  Lately  an  eminent  physician  has 
claimed  that  under  proper  conditions  physical  life 
might  be  indefinitely  prolonged,  and  man  be  able  to 
live  in  the  body  forever.  All  that  is  essential  is  the 
preservation  of  the  equilibrium  between  the  forces  of 
renovation  and  decay.  If  this  could  be  maintained, 
life  would  be  prolonged,  perhaps  to  the  end  of  time, 
and  an  immortal  oak  or  lion  be  as  possible  as  an  im¬ 
mortal  man  ;  but  with  the  gross  forms  of  matter  this 
can  not  be  maintained.  The  forces  of  growth  and 
renovation  are  in  excess  until  the  full  tide  of  matur¬ 
ity  is  reached,  and  then  decay  is  in  excess. 


HOW  SHALL  WE  PASS  THE  ABYSS  * 


211 


There  is  not  enough  material  furnished  to  replace 
the  waste  of  the  body,  and  it  wears  out,  when  death 
must  follow.  It  is  then  that  a  new  entity  becomes  re¬ 
cognizable.  The  material  has  become  spiritual. 
Such  an  immortality  at  best  would  be  not  only  unde¬ 
sirable,  but  unendurable  amidst  the  changing  scenes 
and  vicissitudes  of  material  life.  Only  within  the  re¬ 
fined  spiritual  realm  can  we  expect  to  find  the  per¬ 
fection  we  seek.  It  is  a  new  province,  subject  to 
new  conditions  and  new  laws.  There  is  seemingly 
an  impassable  gulf  between  matter  and  spirit,  yet  we 
shall  find  it  possible  to  throw  an  arch  across.  Nature 
loves  such  blank  spaces  ;  she  loves  the  black  bars  in 
the  spectrum  as  well  as  the  light.  Between  the  tad¬ 
pole  and  the  frog  there  is  a  chasm  which,  unless  the 
change  had  been  observed,  would  be  deemed  impos¬ 
sible.  Between  the  caterpillar  and  the  butterfly;  the 
worm  eating  rough  herbage  and  the  gaudy  winged 
creature  floating  like  a  wind-blown  leaf  from  flower 
to  flower,  the  contrast  is  even  greater. 

How  shall  we  pass  the  abyss  between  matter  and 
spirit  ?  More  correctly,  how  shall  we  look  beyond 
the  dead  physical  body  to  the  individualized  spirit, 
and  account  to  the  satisfaction  of  science  for  the 
maintenance  of  immortal  individuality  from  the 
wreck  of  organization  brought  to  its  most  perfected 
state  ?  While  the  animal  has  a  similar  organization, 
in  its  way,  and  compared  to  its  environment  as  per¬ 
fect,  why  is  it  that  the  claim  is  made  that  the  in¬ 
dividuality  of  the  animal  is  lost  at  death  while 
that  of  man  is  preserved  ?  These  are  all  vital  ques¬ 
tions,  and  rest  on  the  logical  affirmation  that  what¬ 
ever  has  a  beginning  must  have  an  end.  If  man 
has  a  spirit,  the  objector  affirms  that  animals,  too, 
must  have  one.  There  is  no  sharp  break  in  the  series, 
and  hence  no  stopping  point  from  the  highest 


213 


THE  IMMORTAL  8 TATE. 


to  the  lowest,  and,  consequently,  the  primitive 
amoeba,  and  protoplasmic  cell  must  have  an  immortal 
spirit.  This,  by  reductio  ad  absurdum,  destroys  the 
affirmation  of  the  immortality  of  the  highest  as  well 
as  the  lowest. 

We  may  regard  the  physical  body  as  the  scaffold¬ 
ing,  and  when  it  fails,  the  incomplete  arch  of  intelli¬ 
gence  built  thereon  falls  with  it ;  but  this  arch  be¬ 
comes  more  and  more  perfect,  until  in  man  it  is 
perfected ;  and  when  the  physical  platform  by  which 
it  has  been  constructed  falls  at  death,  the  arch  re¬ 
mains.  This  is  an  illustration  of  the  idea,  and  not 
produced  as  evidence.  For  this  evidence  we  must 
consider  the  more  abstruse  doctrines  of  force  and  its 
relation  to  matter.  If  we  go  back  to  the  beginning, 
to  the  primal  chaos,  we  find  visible  matter  and  in¬ 
visible  force.  We  may  take  one  step  further  and 
find  force  only,  regarding  matter  as  the  form  of  its 
manifestation.  This,  however,  is  not  an  essential 
admission  in  this  discussion. 

This  force  is  the  first  revealment  of  an  intelligent, 
ever  active,  persistent  energy,  which  pulsates  through 
the  universe.  What  lies  back  of  it ;  from  whence  it 
springs,  we  may  not  know.  It  is  unknown,  though 
perhaps,  not  unknowable. 

As  we  can  only  recognize  Force  as  Motion,  and 
motion  only  in  connection  with  physical  matter,  our 
investigation  must  begin  with  the  emergence  of  that 
Force  as  the  moving  energy  of  the  cosmic  world- 
vapor.  In  this  expression  with  the  primal  elements, 
unconditioned,  its  tendency  is  to  move  in  direct 
lines.  This  is  illustrated  in  crystallization  which  may 
be  called  the  first  manifestation  of  life — the  dynamic 
force  of  life.  This  force,  which  as  seen  in  the  for¬ 
mation  and  revolution  of  worlds,  is  vorticle ;  in  the 
vegetable  kingdom  it  becomes  spiral,  and  more  and 


FORCE  AS  MOTION. 


213 


more  circular  as  it  ascends  through  the  animal  king¬ 
dom  to  its  higher  forms,  and  in  man  becomes  com¬ 
pletely  so.  This  statement  will  be  better  understood 
by  the  accompanying  diagram. 

The  straight  line  a,  represents  primary 
force  as  manifested  in  the  world-cloud, 
or  nebulous  vapor  of  the  “  beginning.” 

It  was  this  force  that  directed  every 
atom  to  the  common  center  of  the  cos¬ 
mic  mass.  If  its  history  be  traced,  it 
will  be  found  that  the  motion  of  the 
atom  starting  on  a  straight  line  for  the 
center  is  deflected  by  the  resistance  of 
the  crowding  atoms,  and  approaches  the 
center  by  a  parabolic  curve.  In  other 
words,  the  cosmic  cloud  would  form  a 
vortex  like  a  whirlpool,  and  the  rotatory 
motion  developed  would,  before  the  ac¬ 
cumulation  of  any  great  mass  at  the 
center,  prevent  further  aggregation ; 
and  the  rotating  belts  would,  after  con¬ 
densation  into  worlds,  continue  to  re¬ 
volve  in  spiral  circles  which,  because  of 
the  masses  not  being  homogenous,  would 
correct  their  variations  by  spiral  orbits 
which  often  reaching  a  minimum  dis¬ 
tance  from  the  center,  retrace  them¬ 
selves  by  the  worlds  traveling  a  spiral 
orbit  that  becomes  constantly  larger, 
until  a  maximum  of  distance  had  been  gained.  This 
explanation  of  planetary  motions  has  really  no  con¬ 
nection  with  the  present  discussion,  except  as  it 
illustrates  the  parallel  between  the  circle  gained  by 
individualized  masses,  and  the  circle  gained  by  in¬ 
dividualized  spirit. 

The  line  of  force  directly  acting,  is  the  dynamic 


Diagram  of  the 
I  ndividualization 
of  Force. 


214 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


energy  of  matter.  It  passes  into  the  world  of  life 
m  an  ascending  spiral,  that  at  each  ascension,  in¬ 
stead  of  completing  itself,  rises  to  a  higher  degree. 
The  spirals  at  b  represent  the  life  of  plants;  and 
those  at  i  animal  life,  now  termed  vital  energy  or 
vital  force.  There  is  incompleteness,  and  the  force 
ever  ascends  to  a  higher  form.  At  d  the  spiral  be¬ 
comes  a  circle.  The  evoluting  or  individualizing 
energy  returns  within  its  orbit,  and  instead  of  ex¬ 
tending  to  higher  forms,  seeks  the  perfection  of  the 
human  being.  If,  now,  the  inflowing  forces  repre. 
sented  by  the  dotted  line  c,  be  cut  off,  the  individual¬ 
ization  of  the  product  of  that  force  is  complete.  It 
stands  alone.  The  orbit  of  the  forces  of  its  rotation 
is  fixed  by  the  indestructible.  As  in  the  planetary 
orbit,  caused  by  an  oscillation  between  extremes, 
there  will  be  variations,  but  a  constant  return  to 
the  point  of  departure.  The  cosmic  energy  of  force 
having  ascended  through  this  pathway  becomes  in¬ 
dividualized,  as  at  d,  and  death  severing  the  bond 
at  c,  the  spirit  as  the  centerstance  of  force  becomes 
as  at  e,  entirely  detached  from  the  stream  of  living 
beings.  The  force  that  apparently  had  a  beginning, 
at  least  such  to  our  consciousness,  has  by  the  cumu¬ 
lative  processes  of  life  embodied  all  that  is  valuable, 
and  is  enabled  to  exist  alone ;  returning  forever 
within  itself,  maintaining  a  perfect  equilibrium  be¬ 
tween  the  sentient  intellectual  and  moral  natures  it 
has  acquired.  It  is  the  focus  of  these.  There  is  no 
end  to  the  individualized  force  in  this  direction ; 
in  other  words,  spirit  is  immortal.  It  follows  that 
vegetable  and  animal  types  along  the  spiral  repre¬ 
sent  incompleteness  to  such  an  extent  as  to  forbid 
existence  after  detachment  from  the  impelling  cur¬ 
rent.  This  can  only  be  attained  by  development 
carried  to  a  certain  degree,  below  which  the  force 


AFTER  DEATH. 


215 


must  disappear  with  the  organization  which  mani¬ 
fests  it. 

Death. — Death  is  the  separation  of  the  spirit  and 
the  physical  body ;  and  as  the  former  carries  with 
it  all  that  enters  into  the  individuality,  the  self-hood, 
there  can  be  no  change  in  that  individuality.  In: 
the  processes  of  evolution,  death  is  as  natural  as 
birth— one  is  entrance  into  the  earthly  life  ;  one  de¬ 
parture  from  it  to  a  higher  sphere  of  activity.  Ever 
is  it  as  of  old:  The  angel  of  the  sepulchre  is  the 
angel  of  the  resurrection. 

After  Death. — The  student  calmly  surveying  the 
pathway  of  evolution,  seeing  constantly  in  one  age 
the  prophecy  of  ages  that  follow;  reminded  by  every 
form  of  life,  of  a  striving  to  realize  an  ideal,  and  in 
man,  finally,  as  the  highest  work  of  creative  energy, 
finds  that  ideal  type  of  physical  beauty,  and  adapt¬ 
ation  to  the  demands  of  mind,  realizes  that  short  of 
this  last  crowning  work  the  plan  is  incomplete,  and 
a  failure.  The  line  of  advance  to  man  is  direct  and 
continuous.  He  is  the  perfect  fruitage  of  the  Tree 
of  Life.  Having  reached  the  perfection  of  his  phy¬ 
sical  form,  progress  changes  in  direction  to  the  per¬ 
fection  of  his  intellectual  and  moral  being.  In  this 
direction  it  is  never  completed  during  the  brief 
years  of  mortal  life ;  but  transposed  to  an  existence 
after  death,  the  infinitude  of  years  is  equal  to  the 
infinite  possible  advancement;  for  as  no  one  can^ 
fathom  the  centuries  of  the  future,  no  one  can  fix* 
the  boundary  lines  circumscribing  mental  attain¬ 
ment.  After  death  the  celestial  being  holds  fast  to 
all  that  marked  its  individuality  in  earth-life — its 
loves,  affections,  desires,  culture,  attainments,  its 
fears — to  begin  there  where  it  leaves  off  here,  with 
new  environments  and  happier  methods. 


210 


THE  IMMORTAL  STATE. 


It  will  find  belief  the  rag’s  of  the  beggar,  conceal¬ 
ing  the  one  bright  reality,  that  immortal  life  is  an 
inheritance,  governed  by  laws  as  fixed  as  those  of 
the  physical  world. 

Beyond  this,  in  earth  fife  we  can  but  darkly  under¬ 
stand.  We  have  words  to  convey  ideas  of  things 
well  known  to  us— of  lights  seen,  sounds  heard,  of 
tastes,  odors  and  sensations  ;  but  moi'tal  senses  have 
not  experienced,  can  not  experience,  the  sensations 
of  this  higher  life,  and  so  there  are  no  words  to  con¬ 
vey  the  sensations  or  thoughts  awakened. 

True,  there  is  a  correspondence,  such  as  Sweden¬ 
borg  attempted  to  express,  but  failed  because  of 
the  limitations  of  language.  He  was,  like  every 
one  who  attempts  this  task,  with  ideas  formed  in 
the  idiom  of  one  language,  attempting  to  express 
them  in  a  foreign  tongue,  which  has  no  suitable 
words.  There  are  barbarous  languages,  with  vocab¬ 
ularies  of  scarcely  one  thousand  words,  yet  capable 
of  expressing  fully  the  thoughts  of  those  who  use 
them.  It  would  be  impossible  to  translate  the  com. 
plex  thoughts  of  civilized  man  into  such  forms  of 
speech,  much  less  the  impressions  and  thoughts  of 
the  celestial  life. 

If  a  butterfly,  endowed  with  language  to  express 
the  beauties  of  the  broad  summer  landscape,  the 
soft  winds,  the  melting  clouds,  the  fragrance  and 
nectar  of  flowers,  should  return  to  the  old  bitter 
herbage,  where  its  hairy,  uncouth  relatives  were 
feeding  on  acrid  leaves,  and  spreading  its  brilliant 
wings  to  catch  the  sunlight,  should  attempt  to  re¬ 
late  the  wonders  of  the  life  that  was  its  own,  how 
little  would  they  understand,  how  sadly  would  they 
misconstrue  his  meaning. 

For  them  there  has  been  no  experience  of  waft¬ 
ing  winds;  no  sensation  of  flying;  nor  of  sweet  nec- 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


217 


tar  food,  or  perfume  and  brilliant  color,  and  of  these 
no  words  held  in  common  could  convey  any 
meaning. 

For  the  full  knowledge  of  that  higher  life  we 
must  wait.  And  it  is  well:  for  to  know  earth-life 
in  its  completeness  is  enough,  and  more,  for  its 
short  years.  As  this  life  is  the  vestibule  to  the  next, 
so  a  true  knowledge  of  it  is  of  priceless  value  to  ad¬ 
vancement  there,  and  its  culture,  its  moral  growth, 
its  spiritual  excellence,  are  treasures  laid  up  in 
heaven,  and  this  is  all  that  the  freed  spirit  can 
carry  with  it  in  its  transition. 


Personal  Experience — Intelligence 
from  the  Sphere  of  Light. 


It  is  difficult  to  prevent  the  discussion  of  Psychic 
questions  from  assuming  more  or  less  a  religious 
aspect.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  all  systems  of  re¬ 
ligion  are  based  on  Spiritual  existence,  and  from 
views  of  that  life,  true  or  false,  draw  their  vital  sus- 
tainance.  The  moment  it  dawns  upon  the  mind  of 
an  investigator,  that  in  the  facts  and  laws  which 
come  under  his  observation  there  are  expressed  forces 
unknown  to  the  physicist ;  that  beyond,  dimly  seen, 
there  is  an  intimation  of  intelligent,  yet  impalpable 
beings,  he  is  conscious  of  his  own  high  destiny,  and 
the  necessity  of  conforming  mortal  life  to  it. 

The  inquiry  of  the  student  becomes  the  seed-bed 
for  the  propagation  of  religious  thought.  Herein  this 


218 


PE  RSONA  L  EXPER1 ENCE. 


domain  is  unlike  all  others,  for  the  outcome  of  re¬ 
search  within  its  limits,  is  the  last  fruitage  of  Ethical 
Systems. 

Imperfect  understanding,  as  that  of  the  savage, 
blindly  feeling  without  comprehending,  yields  the 
rank  growth  of  superstition ;  while  scientific  and 
philosophic  investigation  yield  the  most  refined 
morality. 

The  preceding  pages  show  the  important  part  the 
sensitive  holds  in  the  manifestations  and  study  of 
psychic  phenomena.  The  true  position  of  the  psy¬ 
chic  individual  is  not  appreciated,  even  by  those  who 
have  given  the  subject  much  attention. 

While  in  the  preceding  discussions  I  have  spoken  in 
the  impersonal  mode,  I  wish  to  add  my  testimony 
from  years  of  experience,  as  a  sensitive.  I  do  this 
because  it  forms  a  somewhat  necessaiy  preface  to 
the  narrative  which  follows. 

The  mass  of  mankind  understand  the  delicacy  of 
the  conditions  which  go  to  make  up  the  sensitive 
subject ;  of  the  acuteness  with  which  the  nervous 
system  is  strung  ;  its  keen  susceptibility  to  pain  and 
pleasure,  about  as  well  as  the  illiterate  boor  compre¬ 
hends  the  chemical  tension  of  the  plate  in  the  camera 
or  the  subtile  ways  of  electricity.  To  be  a  sensitive 
is  to  have  at  times  the  light  of  heaven  in  the  heart, 
and  at  others  the  darkness  of  despair.  A  thousand 
influences  are  always  acting,  and  the  brain  of  the 
sensitive  receives  them  all,  trembles  to  their  vibra¬ 
tions,  and  finds  resistance  to  them  an  effort  most 
exhaustive  of  vitality. 

In  this  state  of  tension,  disagreeable  objects,  oppos¬ 
ing  words,  or  antagonisms  which  ordinarily  would 
pass  unfelt  and  unnoticed,  strike  with  rude  hand,  and 
give  excruciating  torture.  The  presence  of  an  ob¬ 
ject  or  person  may  be  sufficient  to  antagonize  or 


JOYS  AND  TRIALS  OF  A  SENSITIVE. 


219 


destroy  all  etherial  influences.  I  know  of  nothing 
that  may  be  compared  with  the  acute  depression 
of  the  mind  after  such  experiences,  which  corre¬ 
sponds  to  the  preceding  exaltation.  While  the  sen¬ 
sitive  is  receiving  a  flood  of  inspiration  he  breaths 
an  atmosphere  of  delight,  and  lives  in  an  ideal  world. 
Earth  and  its  cares  sink  out  of  memory,  and  the 
mind  is  ennobled  and  purified.  When  the  inspira¬ 
tion  departs,  the  rosy  light  fades  out  of  the  spiritual 
vision,  and  the  mortal  eyes  open  to  the  cold,  gray 
rays  of  earth-life.  How  drear  and  sordidly  selfish, 
poor  and  unprofitable  existence  seems  to  him  then. 

After  the  flood  of  inspiration  comes  its  ebb ;  the 
valley  of  despond,  after  the  heights  of  Alpine  splen¬ 
dor.  Melancholy  and  depression  of  spiritual  energy 
may  produce  physical  disturbance,  which  runs  its 
swift  course  to  death.  Recognizing  these  facts,  the 
position  of  the  sensitive  can  not  be  regarded  as  desir¬ 
able,  unless  the  laws  of  the  sensitive  state  are  well 
known,  and  the  subject  learns  to  protect  himself 
against  injurious  and  painful  conditions  ;  even  if  he 
does  this  unexpectedly,  conditions  will  arise  and  con¬ 
front  him,  for  those  who  are  his  nearest  ana  dear¬ 
est  friends  know  nothing  about  the  acuteness  of  his 
feelings,  and  may  unconciously  produce  the  very 
effects  they  seek  to  avoid. 

The  sensitive  becomes  painfully  conscious  of  a 
double  life,  for  the  psychic  is  so  different  from 
the  common  state,  that  the  mind  receives  im¬ 
pressions  as  from  two  distinct  conditions  of  exist¬ 
ence.  One  is  physical,  held  in  common  with  the 
brutes,  with  physical  enjoyments  and  desires  for  eat¬ 
ing,  drinking,  and  the  passions ;  the  other  is  the 
psychical,  which  lives  above  and  beyond  the  cares  of 
life,  and  dwells  in  an  ideal  realm  of  purity.  One  is 
the  night  and  the  other  the  day.  In  order  to  dwell 


220 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


on  earth  these  two  lives  must  be  united.  The  physi¬ 
cal  body  has  its  imperative  needs,  which  must  be 
satisfied,  as  the  just  condition  of  spiritual  growth. 
There  is  less  imperative  demand  for  spiritual  sus¬ 
tenance.  So  soon  as  the  body  has  been  supplied,  men¬ 
tal  lethargy  supervenes,  and  desires  to  tyrannize: 
physical  life  overlaps  and  conceals  the  spiritual, 
and  men  live  the  life  of  beasts.  At  other  times  the 
spiritual  gains  such  complete  ascendency  that  this 
world  is  forgotten  in  a  blaze  of  ideality.  An  equi¬ 
librium  between  these  states  is  the  most  desirable, 
but  difficult  to  maintain. 

Sensitiveness  is  a  faculty  common  to  mankind 
and  capable  of  cultivation.  Now  that  we  have  just 
entered  the  vestibule  of  the  temple  of  Psychic 
Science,  and  are  beginning  to  learn  its  principles  we 
may  hope  for  brilliant  results.  Nor  will  the  duties  of 
this  life  be  neglected  because  of  the  approach  to  an¬ 
other.  To  the  belief  that  mortal  life  is  all  that  can 
be  attended  to  here,  and  “that  the  earth  is  wanted 
here,  and  not  in  the  clouds,”  the  celestial  sense  would 
reply:  “We  too  want  the  earth  here,  and  not  in  the 
clouds,  but  we  want  the  clouds  also.”  We  want  the 
clouds  to  distill  the  soft  dew,  and  bear  on  their  broad 
shoulders  the  life-giving  rain  for  the  grass  and  grain, 
to  slake  the  thirst  of  the  herds  and  flocks ;  we 
want  the  clouds  to  spread  their  protecting  mantle 
over  the  fields  against  the  scorching  sun  of  summer ; 
and  we  want  them  to  bring  the  crystal  snows  to  pro¬ 
tect  the  fields  in  winter.  We  want  the  clouds  to 
beautify  the  sky,  and  reflect  in  loveliness  the  rays  of 
the  rising  and  setting  sun.  Half  the  beauty  of  the 
world  would  be  gone  without  the  clouds,  which  lift 
the  soul  on  wings  of  aspiration.  We  rejoice  that 
there  are  clouds,  and  while  the  earth  is  good  enough 
for  the  mortal  man,  in  the  clouds  there  is  a  grander 


SPIRITUAL  LIFE  IS  UNIVERSAL.  221 

reality.  If  it  were  otherwise,  if  the  human  heart 
were  given  its  intense  longings,  its  exquisite  sensi¬ 
bility,  its  delicate  cords  responsive  to  every  touch  of 
feeling  only  to  be  torn  and  lacerated  at  the  grave  of 
the  loved,  we  would  scorn  the  pitiable  earth,  despise 
the  sham  called  life,  hate  the  force  called  love,  and 
believe  that  there  is  neither  benevolence,  wisdom,  nor 
intelligence  in  the  Universe.  It  is  the  clouds  that 
give  value  to  the  earth ;  without  them  it  would  only 
be  a  parched  and  thirsty  desert.  There  are  clouds, 
and  by  them  the  spirit  is  exalted  to  the  contempla¬ 
tion  of  infinite  realities. 

Without  the  ever-present  consciousness  of  eternal 
being,  religion  would  be  impossible,  and  there  could 
be  no  ideal  of  excellence  superior  to  the  gratifica¬ 
tions  of  the  hour.  But  man  feels  the  aspirations  for  a 
superior  life,  a  soaring  out  of  and  above  the  physical 
senses;  he  feels  the  promptings  of  duty,  of  right,  of 
justice  and  truth,  outwrought  from  his  innermost 
being.  The  pleasures  of  the  time  are  cast  away; 
selfishness  yields  to  unselfishness ;  and  the  spirit, 
amid  pain,  apparent  loss,  and  the  scorn  of  its  fel¬ 
lows,  proves  its  kinship  to  the  immutable  and  ideal. 
Such  is  the  true  spiritual  life:  The  outgrowth  of 
spiritual  science,  which  makes  morality  a  birthright, 
and  its  expression  in  character  a  consequence  of 
obedience  to  the  laws  of  its  being. 

Spiritual  life  is  universal  and  infinite.  It  is  the 
answer  to  our  hopes,  desires  and  abiding  faith. 
Whence  come  they  ?  They  are  the  mutual  expres- 
sion  of  our  inner  natures.  As  the  flower  expands,  its 
petals  bending  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  so  we  turn  to 
the  spiritual  sun,  and  only  in  the  warmth  of  its  in¬ 
vigorating  rays  expand  into  completeness.  As  the 
foulest  slime  of  the  sewer,  when  exposed  to  the  light, 
•lasts  down  all  stains,  and  sparkles  in  the  crystal 


222 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


waves,  so  humanity  in  the  light  of  spiritual  truth  is 
purified  and  freed  from  stains.  Hope,  faith,  desire, 
the  poetry  of  the  present,  are  the  prophecy  of  the 
future  !  Their  voice  proclaims  the  esoteric  wisdom 
which  is  wiser  than  all  books;  for  are  not  all  books 
children  of  the  mind  ?  Has  any  thing  ever  been  writ¬ 
ten  that  no  one  knew  ?  As  the  mind  is  the  receiver, 
so  is  it  the  radiator.  It  cannot  receive  what  it  has  not 
the  ability  to  throw  out.  It  understands  because  it 
is  the  sum  of  all  the  elements  and  forces  of  the  uni¬ 
verse.  It  is  akin  to  the  titanic  energies  which  hold 
the  revolving  suns  and  worlds  in  the  hollow  of  their 
hands,  and  can  read  the  ritual  of  the  flashing  stars. 

Infinity  it  has  never  exhausted,  it  can  never  ex¬ 
haust  itself.  Books  are  imperfect  stutterings  of  its 
eternal  consciousness.  It  is  as  superior  to  them  as 
the  master  to  his  sketch,  the  sculptor  to  his  clay,  the 
builder  to  the  engine  that  feebly  embodies  in  brass 
and  steel  his  ideas,  which  alone  are  perfect.  We 
are  immortal,  and  hope  and  desire  tell  us  the  won¬ 
drous  tale  of  an  unending  future.  We  cannot  cast 
aside  its  awful  responsibilities,  escape  its  duties,  or 
be  deprived  of  its  grand  possibilities.  The  very 
name  Immortality,  carries  with  it  the  ideas  of  end¬ 
less  progress,  justice,  liberty,  love,  purity,  holiness, 
power  and  beauty. 

Those  who  have  followed  the  line  of  thought  in 
these  pages  will  have  no  difficulty  in  admitting  the 
possibility,  at  least  on  special  occasions,  of  spirit 
communication.  They,  in  fact,  will  recognize  it  as 
a  necessity.  If  those  who  have  passed  through 
death’s  portals  should  return,  they  might  find 
even  the  most  sensitive  unable  to  transmit  their 
thoughts,  except  in  a  most  rudimentary  manner. 

The  following  narrative  is  an  attempt  of  a  celes¬ 
tial  being  to  convey  by  words  a  conception  of 


A  DEATH  SCENE. 


223 


its  glorious  life.  While,  in  part,  the  sketch  must 
he  taken  allegorically,  mainly  it  is  a  true  picture. 
The  communication  came  from  our  mother,  Jane  A. 
Rood,  and  the  remarkable  facts  connected  with  her 
death  are  correctly  stated.  I  more  minutely  describe 
the  entrance  into  that  state  wherein  the  message 
was  received,  because  it  illustrates  the  preceding 
discussions,  and  the  communication  emphasizes  and 
makes  plain  many  points  which  have  remained  un¬ 
approachable. 

The  first  stages  were  like  sinking  into  peaceful 
slumber,  and  I  felt  the  scenes  of  earth  melt  out  of 
consciousness,  while  a  strange  exhilaration,  peace¬ 
ful  and  delightful,  came  over  me.  There  were  chang¬ 
ing  flashes  of  color,  rivaling  the  rainbow,  coming 
and  going  in  receding  circles,  and  then  a  misty 
brightness,  out  of  which  slowly  came,  as  though 
the  cloudiness  were  material  in  the  hands  of  an 
artist,  a  form  which  I  recognized  as  our  mother’s. 
A  score  or  more  of  years  had  passed  since  the  fate¬ 
ful  hour  when  we  were  gathered  around  her  couch, 
too  distressed  to  Aveep,  and  awed  by  the  presence  of 
the  silent  messenger.  Wasted  by  serious  sickness, 
she  was  at  last  free  from  pain,  and  a  smile  of  joy 
came  over  her  pale  face  when  she  knew  it  was  soon 
to  be  over.  We  thought  her  dead,  for  her  eyes 
closed  and  her  breath  ceased,  when  she  repeated 
with  a  voice  sweet  as  music : 

“Bright  spirits  await  to  welcome  me  home, 

To  that  blissful  region  where  you,  too,  may  come  ; 

Weep  not,  for  our  parting  is  only  to  sight, 

Our  spirits  may  still  the  more  closely  unite. 

“  Perform  well  each  day  the  task  which  to  you 
Is  allotted,  and  murmur  not  if  you  must  do 
What  now  seemeth  hardship,  for  soon  you  will  prove 
’Tis  labor  of  kindness,  an  action  of  love.” 


224 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


Then  her  eyes  closed  again,  and  her  features 
changed  into  a  glad  smile.  There  was  now  no  mistak¬ 
ing  the  signs,  and  we  went  to  our  appointed  tasks, 
feeling  that  it  would  be  sacrilege  to  weep  in  the 
presence  of  such  a  triumph  over  death.  We  felt 
that  we  had  been  permitted  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  an 
unseen  reality.  As  travelers  in  mountain  regions 
are  delighted  after  the  valley  is  wrapped  in  twilight 
by  glimpses  of  the  crest  of  some  tall  mountain  catch¬ 
ing  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  reflecting  its  glory,  so 
to  us  it  seemed  that  the  departing  spirit  had  caught 
a  glimpse  of  the  light  of  its  new  life,  and  reflected 
a  smile  on  the  face  of  the  body  it  was  leaving. 

How  beautiful  she  was  with  the  graces  of  youth, 
and  the  complete  and  perfected  charms  of  maturity. 
No  wrinkles  were  on  her  brow,  no  marks  of  care, 
anxiety  or  pain  ;  she  Avas  ideal  in  excellence. 

What  has  happened  to  you,  mother  ?  How  are 
you  the  same  and  yet  not  the  same  ? 

The  response :  I  have  returned  to  my  youth,  and 
have  brought  my  experience  with  me.  I  scarcely 
realize  how  many  years  have  passed.  Twenty-five,  do 
you  say  ?  It  seems  to  me  not  as  many  days ;  and 
yet,  let  me  recount.  There  has  been  a  flood  of 
events,  and  my  recollection  of  the  last  time  you  saw 
me  has  grown  dim.  We  count  not  time  by  years, 
but  by  accomplishments ;  by  what  we  do  and  gain 
in  thought.  I  am  pained  by  the  memory  of  the 
olden  time.  Y ou  say  it  was  tAventy-five  years  or  more 
ago !  As  I  come  again  in  contact  with  earth,  my 
sickness  and  sufferings  are  recalled.  Hoav  weary  and 
worn  I  became !  How  I  longed  for  the  end !  The 
love  you  all  bore  me  and  my  love  for  you  Avas  the 
only  cord  which  bound  me  to  life,  and  as  I  ap¬ 
proached  the  end  I  forgot  even  that.  How  much  I 
suffered  that  day  I  cannot  tell,  but  at  last  I  Avas 


ENTERING  HEAVEN. 


225 


at  peace.  The  terrible  struggle  between  flesh  and 
spirit  was  done,  and  the  latter  rested.  I  thought  I 
would  sleep,  and  yet  it  was  not  sleep.  It  was  a 
repose  of  all  living  functions,  and  yet  my  mind  was 
in  full  activity.  For  a  time  I  heard  all  that  was  said 
by  those  who  were  in  the  room  ;  but  soon  I  became  so 
absorbed  in  the  thoughts  which  flowed  on  my  mind 
that  I  lost  consciousness  of  everything  else.  Oh ! 
it  was  such  a  delicious  sense  of  comfort  and  of  rest ! 
I  was  so  very  weary;  I  had  been  so  tortured  by  pain 
that  to  be  free  was  indescribable  happiness.  I  had 
heard  them  say  I  was  dying,  and  I  expected  the 
dread  moment  with  foreboding.  It  surely  must  soon 
come,  yet  I  thought  I  had  not  reached  it.  The 
darkness  began  to  lighten,  and  I  thought  the  morn 
was  breaking.  An  intense  thrill  of  delight  filled 
my  being,  and  the  light  grew  stronger.  I  contin¬ 
ued  to  rest,  and  a  new  strength  came  to  me.  I 
am  getting  well  again,  I  thought,  and,  perhaps, 
when  the  morning  comes  I  shall  surprise  my  friends 
and  children  by  at  once  arising  from  my  couch. 
The  light  streamed  in  with  a  soft  and  a  refreshing 
warmth.  There  were  no  walls  to  prevent  its  pas¬ 
sage.  I  was  floating  in  a  cloud  of  light,  borne 
gently  and  softly  as  a  weary  child  on  its  mother’s 
breast.  Then  out  of  the  light,  as  though  it  had 
formed  into  shape  and  substance,  I  saw  three  friends, 
long  since  dead,  and  my  own  blessed  mother.  To 
meet  them  did  not  appear  strange  to  me,  yet  I 
knew  they  were  not  of  earth.  When  they  came 
around  me,  taking  my  hands  in  theirs,  and  caress¬ 
ing  my  forehead,  I  was  surprised  at  their  beauty, 
and  the  sweetness  of  their  expression.  They  read 
my  thoughts,  and  answered:  * 

“Yes,  truly  we  are  of  the  dead;  and  you  will  find 
that  dying  means  to  live.” 


226 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


“  1  thought  I  was  dying;  they  told  me  so,”  I  said, 
laughing  at  the  absurdity.  ‘‘But  I  have  become 
well,  never  so  well  since  a  child.  It  is  a  joy  to 
breathe  and  feel  the  fresh  life  come  coursing  through 
my  veins.  But  why  do  you  smile  ?  ”  I  asked.  They 
replied:  “  Do  you  not  know  that  3mm*  new  life  means 
death  ?  How  much  you  have  to  learn,  dear  sister.” 

‘‘Yes,  I  have  everything  to  learn  ;  my  life  has 
been  full  of  cares.” 

“  They  have  been  for  others/’  was  replied.  “  And 
such  are  treasures  in  heaven.  For  us  to  learn  is  not 
labor.  If  we  bring  ourselves  into  the  proper  condi¬ 
tion  of  receptivity,  knowledge  flows  into  o\ir  minds. 
There  is  no  effort,  no  wearisome  study.  We  may 
know  all  that  the  highest  intelligence  knows  if  we 
are  in  the  right  condition.” 

“  I  must  bring  myself  at  once  into  that  condition,” 
I  replied,  “  for  there  is  need.” 

‘‘Be  not  in  haste,  our  sister,”  said  they  gently; 
“  there  is  time,  and  you  must  have  repose.  The  pain 
you  have  endured  reflects  on  your  spirit,  and  you 
have  not  yet  recovered.” 

“  I  infer  from  your  words  that  I  have  met  the 
change  I  so  feared,”  I  said  again,  smiling  at  the  ab¬ 
surdity  of  the  idea.  “  When  did  I  pass  the  limits  of 
earth  life,  and  why  do  I  lose  sight  of  my  friends  ?” 

“You  need  have  no  more  dread,”  replied  my  dar¬ 
ling  mother.  “  You  do  not  see  them  because  we  are 
far  away  from  them.  It  would  not  he  well  for  you 
to  remain  and  witness  their  sorrow.  We  have  taken 
you  away,  that  you  may  first  recover  and  grow 
strong.” 

As  I  felt  the  swift  motion,  which  I  had  not  before 
observed,  for  it  had  been  to  me  the  gentle  rock  of 
sustaining  arms,  I  asked:  “Am  I  to  be  taken  away 
so  far  I  can  not  return  ?” 


FIRST  SENSATIONS. 


22  < 


“Fear  not,  child,"  she  replied  in  her  old  way, 
“  fear  not,  for  whatever  we  justly  demand  is  grant¬ 
ed  to  us.  The  craving  of  the  heart  is  not  left  un¬ 
answered.  Presently  it  will  all  be  made  plain  to 
you.” 

We  were  drawn  onward  as  by  the  tide  of  a  great 
river,  and  I  saw  countless  others  coming  and  going, 
as  though  on  swift  errands.  Then  we  paused  on  an 
eminence,  overlooking  a  sea  of  amethyst  on  our 
right,  and  a  vast  plain  on  our  left.  The  sky  was 
softest  purple,  and  the  light  fell  with  indescribable 
mellowness  over  all— there  was  happiness  in  the  air, 
and  those  we  greeted  were  radiant.  No  words  can 
describe  what  I  saw,  or  my  rapidly  changing  emo¬ 
tions.  There  is  nothing  on  earth  with  which  to  com¬ 
pare  the  landscape.  The  softest  earthly  colors  are 
opaque  in  comparison,  and  the  clearest  sky  a  murky 
cloud.  Overcome,  I  wept  for  joy,  and  my  companions 
wept  with  me. 

“Oh!”  exclaimed  one,  “how  sweet  to  know  that 
this  is  the  reality;  no  more  doubts,  nor  forebodings; 
no  more  fears,  nor  distress  ;  a  life  that  of  itself  is  the 
highest  pleasure,  and  yields  us  heaven.” 

I  started  at  the  word,  for  it  recalled  a  tide  of  be¬ 
liefs  :  “  Heaven  !  When  are  we  to  go  there  ?  Where 
is  it  and  what  must  we  do  to  go  there  ?” 

“  Be  not  impatient,  dear  sister ;  we  are  in  heaven 
already.  Where  happiness  is,  there  is  heaven. 
Heaven  is  activity.  It  is  the  deed  of  kindness,  the 
pure  loving  thought  that  makes  heavens.” 

“What  is  its  first  principle?”  I  queried,  “for  I 
am  weak  and  undeserving.” 

“  Doing  for  others  is  the  full  measure  of  its  law. 
This  is  the  angel  code  from  which  every  trace  of  self¬ 
ishness  has  been  weeded  out.  To  do  for  others  brings 
gain.  The  pure  and  noble  angels  bending  from  their 


238 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


spheres  of  light,  labor  for  others  in  self-forgetful¬ 
ness.  When  man  so  far  forgets  his  selfishness  as  to 
sacrifice  himself  for  others,  he  exalts  himself  in  angel- 
life.  To  work  for  self  is  no  better  nor  worse  than  the 
brute  world,  from  worm  to  elephant,  and  is  devoid 
of  immortal  gain.” 

How  delighted  I  was  at  these  words.  The  dross  of 
the  world  was  rapidly  disappearing.  The  sphere  of 
my  earthly  labor,  which  to  me  seemed  so  narrow, 
widened.  I  had  been  sympathetic  with  those  who 
suffered,  and  to  those  weaker  than  myself  I  had 
given  a  helping  hand.  Little  things  of  no  account 
at  the  time,  so  humble  and  narrow  had  been  my  life, 
now  had  a  new  meaning. 

My  companions  smiled  as  they  read  my  thoughts, 
and  one  responded:  “Dear  sister,  your  weakness 
was  your  strength.  It  will  be  no  effort  for  you  to 
do  as  you  have  always  done.  They  who  can  be 
unselfish  under  the  coarse  influences  of  earthly  life, 
how  grand  must  be  their  career  under  the  purer 
conditions  which  here  prevail.” 

As  we  conversed  there  came  one  from  another 
group,  tall,  beautiful  and  radiant  with  light,  and 
with  his  companion  more  exquisitely  beautiful  than 
himself.  They  invited  us,  and  we  went  to  their 
abode.  “How  beautiful  you  are,”  I  exclaimed  in¬ 
voluntarily  to  her. 

“  I  am  glad  ;”  she  replied,  “  for  to  be  truly  beauti¬ 
ful  means  that  the  thoughts  are  right  and  true, 
for  they  mold  the  features  and  through  them  gain 
expression  ;  but  it  requires  time,  a  great  length  of 
time.” 

“How  long  have  you  been  here?”  I  ventured 
to  ask. 

“  Many  hundred  years.  I  scarcely  know  how 
long.” 


A  MISER  SPIRIT. 


229 


“  And  you  grow  not  old  here  ?  ” 

“We  grow  not  old.  The  spirit  knows  not  age. 
It  is  not  limited  by  duration.  It  is  an  eternal  now, 
concentrating  the  past  and  awaiting  the  future.” 

I  had  not  seen  myself  sinceYITe  change.  I  put 
my  hand  to  my  face  ;  it  was  smooth  and  unwrinkled. 
A  happy  ripple  of  laughter  came  from  my  com¬ 
panions.  He  who  had  come  for  us  said:  “Dear 
sister,  you  left  those  with  your  body.  The  pure 
spirit  has  not  the  wrinkles  of  care  or  of  age.” 

I  looked  at  him  as  he  spoke  and  my  attention 
was  called  to  his  robe.  I  had  not  thought  of 
this  subject  before.  I  had  been  so  eagerly  watch¬ 
ing  the  faces  of  my  companions,  I  had  not  thought 
of  their  garments,  or  of  my  own.  What  a  change ! 
What  was  this  raiment  ?  I  can  not  describe  it. 
It  was  a  drapery  as  of  a  cloud,  and  its  color  de¬ 
pended  on  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  wearer. 
I  was  glad  that  mine  was  azure,  for  that  was  the 
color  of  my  companion’s,  and  thus  I  knew  I  was 
like  them.  What  was  it  ?  A  cloud  or  woven  light  ? 
It  fell  around  me  soft  and  warm,  and  with  a  lux¬ 
urious  coolness  contrasting  with  the  burning  of 
the  fever  I  had  so  recently  escaped.  How  different 
from  the  roughness  of  the  old  garments  was  this 
fleecy  robe,  glinting  and  reflecting  the  light. 

As  we  conversed,  there  came  a  spirit,  who  paused 
in  front  of  us,  dark  and  sullen.  His  raiment  was 
sombre  and  grim,  like  his  thoughts.  “  Can  you  tell 
me  where  heaven  is?”  he  grumbled,  “I  paid  a 
preacher  to  gain  it  for  me,  and  now  having  lost  all 
else,  I  want  that.” 

“Poor  brother,”  replied  the  elder,  “you  search  for 
what  you  can  never  find  outside  of  yourself.” 

“You  are  a  deceiver!”  he  muttered  as  he  fled 
away. 


230 


PERSONAL  EAPERIENCE. 


The  elder  brother  gazed  after  him  sadly,  and  turn¬ 
ing  said:  “On  earth  he  was  a  miser,  and  who  can 
count  the  years  before  his  regeneration  ?  He  sought 
wealth,  trusting  to  others  his  religious  and  moral 
culture.  The  recording  angel  has  written  against 
,  his  name  not  one  charity,  not  one  unselfish  deed.  He 
now  must  wander  in  self-torment,  seeking  and  find¬ 
ing  not.” 

“Was  he  of  consequence  on  earth  ?”  I  asked,  for 
he  was  proud  and  haughty  in  his  degradation. 

“  Thousands  trembled  at  his  beck,  for  he  had  made 
them  dependents  and  slaves.  He  had  vast  riches, 
houses  and  lands,  mortgages  and  deeds.  He  was 
wise  in  getting  wealth ;  but  here  mortgages  and 
deeds  are  unknown,  and  he  becomes  the  least  in  the 
kingdom  ;  morally  idiotic,  mentally  dwarfed,  and  a 
pitiable  object  of  our  compassion.” 

“  How  long  before  he  will  gain  the  light  ?” 

“Ah!  who  but  God  can  tell  !”  sighed  my  instruc¬ 
tor.  “Who  can  tell?  Centuries  may  go  by.  He 
must  first  learn  to  ask  ;  first  learn  humility  and  his 
mistakes.  Then  some  kind  angels  will  attempt  his 
education.  They  will  lead  him  out  of  his  mental 
selfishness,  and  he  will  begin  as  a  child  in  the  old  life. 
His  task  will  be  difficult  because  he  can  not  enter 
the  sphere  of  receptivity,  as  we  are  able  to  do,  and 
thus  absorb  knowledge  from  others.  His  nature 
must  first  change,  and  complete  regeneration  be 
accomplished.” 

The  coming  of  this  pitiable  one  brought  a  wave 
of  sadness  over  us,  but  it  passed,  and  the  sun  was 
more  gladsome  after  breaking  from  the  clouds.  I 
had  rested  in  delightful  sleep;  Ido  not  knowhow 
often,  and  the  old  life  was  like  a  dream.  It  was  not 
possible  I  had  been  sick,  for  I  was  so  strong,  so  glad¬ 
some  in  my  strength,  and  activity  was  a  delight.  My 


TO  DESIRE  IS  TO  LEARN. 


231 


mind  broadened.  Contact  with  my  companions  gave 
me  enlarged  ideas.  To  think  was  to  learn;  to  wish 
was  to  know.  I  was  able  to  look  beyond  the  effect 
to  the  cause.  I  could  read  the  law  in  the  result. 
Every  day  brought  grander  views,  and  my  mental 
horizon  expanded.  Even  in  this  larger  growth  I 
found  rest.  The  faculties,  dwarfed  and  starved  in 
the  old  time,  called  for  activity.  The  weariness  of 
the  body  I  was  leaving  behind  me.  How  lovingly 
my  companions  would  surround  me  with  conditions 
of  repose.  How  they  gave  me  fullness  of  life,  and 
drew  to  me  those  who  would  reveal  the  knowledge 
it  was  my  desire  to  learn  ! 

Then  suddenly  one  evening  I  felt  an  earthward 
impulse.  What  power  drew  me  thitherward  ? 

“  Is  our  sister  disturbed  ?  ”  asked  my  gentle  com¬ 
panion. 

“  Oh  !  so  disturbed  !  I  have  been  selfish  in  my  new 
joy,  and  how  could  I  have  been  so  forgetful ;  so  un¬ 
natural  ?  My  husband  and  babe ;  my  son  and 
daughter  weeping ;  and  I  *  have  not  thought  of 
them  !  ” 

I  wept,  and  my  companion  folded  her  arm  around 
me  and  gently  said :  “You  have  been  under  our  con¬ 
trol,  and  are  not  responsible.  To  have  been  subject  to 
the  griefs  of  those  you  left,  would  have  been  painful 
and  useless.  You  are  now  able  to  bear  a  full  know¬ 
ledge,  you  feel  that  of  your  family  and  friends.  I 
will  go  with  you,  and  you  will  find  what  I  tell  you  is 
true,  and  you  will  bless  us  for  our  thoughtful¬ 
ness.” 

•We  were  poised,  as  it  wrere,  over  a  promontory  be. 
yond  which  the  earth  hung  in  space,  as  the  full  moon 
in  a  summer  sky.  Beyond  were  the  stars.  I  was 
aghast  at  the  journey,  and  fearful  of  the  abyss  which 
seemed  deep  as  infinitude.  While  I  trembled  it  was 


233 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


passed.  I  was  in  my  old  home.  A  great  flood  of 
human  memories  came  over  me.  How  I  loved  the 
dear  familiar  walls,  the  chairs,  the  glowing1  fire  and, 
more  than  all.  the  family  group,  My  husband  sit¬ 
ting  with  his  head  bowed  in  his  hand,  my  daughter 
performing  the  tasks  that  had  been  mine  ;  my  little 
boy  and  girl  at  play  ;  the  babe  asleep.  There  were 
tears  in  my  eyes  as  I  turned  to  my  companion  for 
strength  to  bear :  Did  I  not  leave  my  body?  Was 
there  not  a  funeral  ?  Why  is  it  so  quiet  if  I  have  not 
truly  passed  the  ordeal  ? 

“  Listen,”  said  my  companion,  supporting  me. 
“  Listen”  It  was  in  October  when  3Tou  passed  away. 
The  bright  foliage  of  the  trees,  then  burning  in  scar¬ 
let  and  gold,  had  been  blown  away  by  the  blasts  of 
winter,  and  the  snow  covered  the  earth  with  its  icy 
shroud.  All  you  think  of  has  been  done.  It  is  fin¬ 
ished.  W ere  you  to  go  to  the  churchyard  you  would 
find  a  mound  by  the  side  of  relatives  gone  before.” 

It  was  so  unreal  and  absurd  that  I  was  bewildered, 
and  laughed  at  my  misunderstanding,  and  wept  the 
next  moment  when  I  saw  my  family.  I  went  to 
my  husband  and  placed  my  hand  on  his  head  and 
called  him  by  name.  I  called  with  all  my  strength  to 
learn  that  my  lips  gave  no  sound  to  his  ear,  and  that 
my  touch  was  imperceptible.  Then  I  turned  to  my 
daughter  and  threw  my  arms  despairingly  around 
her.  She  was  singing  a  song  we  had  sung  together, 
and  continued  not  heeding  my  embrace.  Oh !  how 
keen  my  grief  when  I  found  I  was  not  known  in  my 
own  old  home.  I,  who  had  come  from  such  a  distance, 
my  heart  beating  with  love,  found  no  response  !  My 
daughter  finished  her  song,  and  her  eyes  filled  with 
tears.  I  read  her  thoughts  for  they  were  of  me. 
“Mother  !  Mother  !  ”  she  was  saying, and  I  responded. 
It  was  the  call  I  had  heard  beyond  the  bars  of  heaven  1 


BACK  TO  EARTH  AG  AIK. 


233 


I  could  not  bear  it,  and  my  companion  said  as  she 
again  placed  her  arm  around  me : 

“Come,  my  sister,  you  can  do  no  good  here.  There 
%is  your  child  sleeping  in  its  crib.  It  is  cared  for  as 
by  yourself.  Bliss  it,  and  we  will  go.  Be  assured 
whenever  you  are  wanted  here  you  will  feel  the 
desire.” 

I  kissed  my  child.  “  Let  me  stay,”  I  pleaded ;  “  I 
want  to  sit  in  my  old  place,  in  that  vacant  chair. 
Then  I  will  go .” 

“  As  you  will ;  and  I  will  endeavor  to  impress  your 
daughter  with  some  ray  of  sunshine.  ’’ 

She  bent  over  my  daughter,  and  by  means  I  did 
not  understand,  her  mind  responded  to  the  spirit’s 
thoughts:  “Your  mother  is  with  you,  and  retains 
the  same  affection  for  you  she  had  in  earth-life.” 
"With  the  influx  of  that  thought  a  smile  lit  up  her 
face,  and  turning  to  the  organ,  she  sang,  "Annie 
Laurie,”  a  song  we  had  often  sung  together.  How 
thankful  I  was  that  one  ray  of  sunlight  gladdened 
her  heart,  and  the  memory  of  me  was  yet  dear.  I 
was  grateful  to  the  kind  spirit  who  had  assisted  me, 
and  then  she  said  we  must  go,  for  the  trial  was  too 
great  for  my  strength. 

“You  must  calm  yourself,"  said  my  companion, 
“for  this  sorrow  is  without  the  least  benefit.  Be¬ 
lieve  it  is  for  the  best,  and  though  the  hour  is  dark, 
it  wild  bring  a  perfect  day.'' 

“I  can  not  prevent  myself  thinking  of  my  chil¬ 
dren  and  my  husband.  My  love  for  them  is  stronger 
than  ever,  and  I  could  not  have  been  persuaded  to 
have  left  them  for  a  day.  Can  I  not,  oh,  good  angel, 
remain  with  them  ?  The  fairest  scene  of  your  home 
is  desolate  compared  to  the  earth !” 

With  tenderest  compassion  she  said:  “You  are 
now  in  the  earth-sphere  and  take  on  its  conditions. 


234 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


You  are  seeing  through  earthly  eyes,  and  affected 
by  eartLly  ways.  When  we  once  leave  this  scene 
you  will  be  no  longer  distressed.  Willingly  would  I 
leave  you.  I  have  no  right  to  force  you  away.  I 
influence  you  as  I  think  for  your  highest  good. 
Here  you  are  unrecognized,  and  are  constantly 
troubled  because  you  can  not  make  yourself  known, 
and  by  a  reflection  of  the  sorrow  of  your  family. 
Whenever  you  can  be  of  use  to  them  you  will  re¬ 
ceive  the  knowledge  and  can  return.  Now  we  had 
better  go.” 

She  placed  her  arm  around  me,  and  whether  the 
earth  sank  away  from  us,  or  we  flew  from  the  earth, 
I  was  unable  to  tell.  I  have  since  learned  how  to 
traverse  space  by  the  force  of  will ;  but  then  I  was 
ignorant  of  the  method,  and  dependent  on  others. 
Now,  when  I  desire  to  visit  a  place,  or  be  with  cer¬ 
tain  friends,  the  desire  creates  an  attraction,  which 
in  spirit  is  the  equivalent  of  magnetic  attraction  in 
the  physical  world. 

When  we  again  reached  our  spirit  home  our  com¬ 
panions  gathered  around  us,  and  I  was  soothed  by 
1  the  kind  words  of  my  mother.  I  felt  condemned  for 
my  loss  of  interest  in  the  earth-life  which  had  so 
recently  absorbed  my  mind,  but  it  became  like  a 
dim  dream,  and  ceased  to  trouble  me.  What  if  I 
should  forget  it  entirely  ?  I  was  appalled  at  the 
idea,  and  cried  at  the  pang  it  gave. 

“  Do  not  fear,  you  will  not  forget,  but  after  a  time 
your  affections  will  strengthen.  Our  sister  has  much 
to  learn,  and  needlessly  distresses  herself.” 

The  years  passed,  and  I  became  accustomed  to  my 
*  new  life,  when  a  message  came  for  me.  The  palpi¬ 
tating  waves  repeated,  “ Mother!  mother!  mother!” 
It  was  my  youngest  daughter,  who  had  grown  al¬ 
most  to  womanhood.  I  knew  by  her  cry  that  she 


A  SPIRIT  LEAVING  THE  BODY. 


235 


was  in  mortal  pain,  and  yielding  to  the  attractions 
I  was  soon  with  her.  She  was  motionless  on  a 
couch,  surrounded  by  her  relatives,  and  her  cousin 
held  her  cold  hand.  “  It  is  all  over,”  they  said,  in  tears. 

“Can  it  be?”  I  eagerly  asked.  “Oh!  can  it  be 
that  the  time  has  already  come  when  I  am  to  have 
one  of  my  children  with  me  ?  To  have  one  of  them  who 
will  know  me,  and  converse  with  me  ?  Oh  !  heaven¬ 
ly  Father,  I  thank  thee  for  this  answer  to  my  in¬ 
cessant  prayer.  ” 

Then  I  looked  closely  and  saw  the  great  transi¬ 
tion  was  approaching.  I  could  not  assist ;  I  could 
only  stand  by  her  side  and  receive  her.  She  seemed 
asleep,  which  I  fully  understood  from  my  own  ex¬ 
perience.  Slowly  the  spirit  left  the  insensible  body, 
and  as  I  saw  my  spirit-daughter  recovering^  her 
senses,  I  drew  near  and  whispered,  “Claribel.”  She 
opened  wide  her  blue  eyes,  and  I  knew  she  saw  me. 
I  threw  my  arms  around  her,  and  wept  for  glad¬ 
ness.  “  Darling  Claribel,  do  you  not  know  me,  your 
mother  ?  ” 

“  Dearest  mama,”  she  said  with  her  old  smile, 
“  know  you  ?  Why,  you  are  younger,  but  the  same. 
Where  have  you  been  so  long  ?  We  thought  you 
dead  ?  ” 

“  Do  you  not  know  ?”  I  asked,  apprehensively. 

“  Know  ?  What  mean  you  ?  ” 

“Yes,  I  am  what  they  call  dead;  and  were  you 
not  likewise,  you  could  not  see  me  !” 

“I  dead?”  she  replied,  with  a  laugh  which  re¬ 
called  her  childhood,  throwing  her  arms  gracefully 
over  her  head.  “  Look  you,  mama,  how  far  from  it 
I  am.  I  have  been  wretchedly  sick,  and  in  such 
fiery  pain  ;  but  it  is  over,  and  I  am  perfectly  well.” 

We  drew  to  one  side,  and  she  then  turning,  saw 
the  friends,  weeping,  and  her  body  on  the  couch. 


230 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


“Why  do  they  weep?”  she  asked,  “and  who  is 
that  cn  the  couch?  I  am  confused,  for  it  is  like 
another  self.” 

“They  are  weeping  for  your  loss,  and  that  form 
on  the  couch  is  yours.” 

“Am  I  to  return  to  it  ?  What  am  I  to  do,  dear 
mother  ?  ” 

“  No,  you  will  need  it  no  more.  Your  life  is  here¬ 
after  with  me  and  the  angels.” 

“  What  mean  you,  mother,  by  saying  you  and  I 
are  dead  ?  ” 

•  “That  we  are,  my  child.  That  is  what  people 
call  dead.” 

“  I  do  not  understand,”  she  replied  musingly.  Then 
going  to  her  cousin's  side,  who  was  still  holding  her 
physical  hand,  she  said,  “Cousin  Frank,  what  are 
you  weeping  for  ?  Do  you  not  see  how  well  I  am  ?” 

He  did  not  hear  her  words,  and  she  spoke  again, 
playfully  patting  his  face.  Then  she  saw  that  she 
was  no  longer  able  to  be  heard  or  felt,  and  threw 
herself  into  my  arms,  weeping  violently.  I  soothed 
her  as  best  I  could,  upbraiding  myself  with  foolishly 
teaching  her  the  ways  of  our  life  before  she  was 
able  to  receive.  “  My  child,”  I  said,  “how  glad  I  am 
to  have  you  again  with  me.  They  will  all  come  to 
us  sooner  or  later.  Now  we  will  go  to  my  home,  for 
it  is  not  well  for  you  to  remain.  After  a  time  you 
will  be  instructed  in  these  mysteries.” 

I  attempted  to  go,  but  found  that  although  I  could 
depart  alone,  I  could  not  bear  Claribel  with  me.  I 
had  not  perfected  myself  sufficiently  in  the  method, 
and  her  attraction  was  toward  that  spot  alone.  I 
prayed  for  the  coming  of  a  companion,  and  soon 
there  came  one  to  my  aid.  On  either  side  we  threw 
our  arms  around  her,  and  then  our  wills  bore  her 

nward  with  us. 


A  BIT  OF  JEALOUSY 


237 


When  we  reached  our  home,  and  the  loving  com¬ 
panions  came  with  welcome  to  Claribel,  and  she  saw 
beauty  and  perfection  everywhere,  and  felt  how 
happy  her  coming  had  made  me,  tears  trembled  in 
her  eyes  as  she  said  .  “  It  is  wonderful,  mother,  and 
I  ought  not  to  regret,  but  you  know  earth-life  was 
sweet  to  me,  and  I  had  plans  for  the  future.” 

“Yes,  my  child,”  I  replied,  “the  days  were  too 
short,  and  your  friends  were  devoted,  but  your  plans 
are  thwarted,  yet  you  must  know  that  all  is  well.  ” 
Her  towering  air-castles  had  vanished;  but  soon  she 
had  far  greater  sources  of  happiness  in  the  group 
of  beautiful  children  she  instructed. 


I  said  I  would  not  visit  earth  unless  called,  for  the 
pain  was  greater  than  the  pleasure.  Even  when  called^ 
I  refused.  “My  husband,”  they  said,  “was  about  to 
wed  again.” 

“It  is  well,”  I  replied  ;  “his  is  the  rough,  earth-life, 
hard  to  walk  alone.  If  he  so  desires,  I  ought  to  be 
willing.” 

Yet  I  was  not  willing  or  I  should  have  gone  It 
would  have  seemed  strange,  indeed,  to  have  visited 
my  old  home,  and  found  another  in  my  place.  It 
would  have  emphasized  my  death  to  me.  Thinking 
the  matter  over,  I  said : 

“No  !  I  will  not  go.  Let  them  be  happy.  I  will  not 
enter  their  sphere.  '’ 

When,  years  after,  the  message  came  that  he  was 
soon  to  join  me,  I  hastened  to  his  side.  When  I 
reached  him  he  had  already  nearly  passed  through  the 
transition,  and  had  regained  his  spiritual  perceptions. 
As  I  came  to  him  he  at  once  knew  me,  and  opened 
wide  his  arms  to  receive  me.  The  years  were  blotted 
out.  We  were  again  to  each  other  all  that  we  had  ever 


238 


PERSON  A  L  EXPERIENCE. 


been.  By  intuition  he  knew  that  he  had  met  the 
change,  and  the  first  words  he  said  to  me  were : 

“  I  am  so  glad  the  weary  watch  is  over.  I  knew 
heaven  was  not  so  large  I  could  not  find  you, but  I  did 
not  expect  so  soon  to  meet  you.  It  was  like  you  to 
come,  and  I  ought  to  have  expected  it.” 

“  I  heai'd  your  call,”  I  replied,  “  and  heaven  is  not 
so  wide  that  I  could  not  come.  Now  we  must  go, 
and  I  will  take  you  to  the  most  beautiful  place  you 
ever  saw  in  dreams.  You  must  not  remain  to  wit¬ 
ness  the  proceedings  further.” 

He  smiled  at  my  words:  “Why,  you  talk  as  if 
there  was  something  terrible  about  death.  It  has 
been  the  most  pleasant  passage  in  my  life.  I  have 
suffered  a  great  deal  in  its  approach,  but  when  it 
came  it  brought  only  joy.  When  I  saw  you,  I  was 
so  pleased,  my  clay -lips  uttered  my  thoughts,  the  last 
words  they  ever  gave.  Now  it  is  done,  I  must  stay 
till  it  is.  over.  I  want  to  see  how  the  relatives  and 
friends  act,  and  hear  what  they  say.  You  know  it 
will  be  strange  to  hear  one’s  own  funeral  sermon.” 

As  he  would  not  go,  I  remained  with  him,  and 
entering  again  into  the  earth-sphere,  suffered  from 
the  contact.  My  husband  was  greatly  interested  in 
the  ceremonies,  and  when  they  were  over,  he  said: 

“  I  am  glad  the  old  aching  body  has  at  last  gone  to 
its  final  rest.  The  children  were  grieved,  and  ought 
to  know  how  they  misunderstand.  Perhaps  I  can  tell 
them  some  time.  Hearts  do  not  break  with  grief, 
else  mine  would  have  broken.  Come,  now,  my  new¬ 
found  wife,  I  will  go  where  you  wish.” 

I  need  not  repeat  the  story  of  the  journey  or  de¬ 
scribe  the  meeting  with  our  Claribel.  Her  father 
was  of  so  happy  a  disposition,  that  he  at  once  assimi¬ 
lated  his  surroundings,  and  became  one  with  his 
companions. 


THE  POET'S  STORY. 


'>39 


“  I  have  worked  and  struggled  along,”  he  said, 
“  having  little  time  to  think,  and  I  am  as  ignorant  as 
a  savage.  I  desire  at  once  to  commence  gaining 
knowledge.  How  am  I  to  proceed  ?” 

We  all  laughed  at  his  eagerness,  and  one  said- 

“There  is  time  enough;  you  must  first  rest  and 
recover  strength.” 

“Rest!  I  was  never  stronger,  and  I  am  anxious 
for  exertion.  1  feel  mentally  starved  and  crave 
thought  food.” 

“You  will  find  no  difficult  task.  To  desire  is  to 
have,  and  you  will  soon  become  in  sympathy  with 
the  thought-atmosphere  of  our  home.” 

Then  one  of  our  number,  who  was  a  poet,  super¬ 
ior  to  us  all,  said  he  had  had  a  singular  and  painful 
experience,  and  we  demanded  to  hear  it. 

The  Poet’s  Story. — I  had  been  enthroned,  and  as 
I  came  up  the  pathway  leading  to  this  eminence,  I 
met  a  boisterous  throng  of  people.  Strange  faces 
they  had,  and  yet  they  were  familiar.  I  looked 
closely,  and  imagine  my  surprise  when  I  found  they 
belonged  to  me.  They  were  the  thoughts  I  had  ex¬ 
pressed  in  my  earth-life.  Some  were  dark,  repulsive 
and  inexpressibly  ugly,  while  others  were  exquisitely 
beautiful.  What  a  horde  they  were,  and  though 
some  were  pleasing,  the  greater  proportion  caused 
my  cheeks  to  blush  with  shame.  ^ 

“Father!  father!”  they  called,  rushing  toward i 
me. 

“Away!”  I  cried.  “I  know  you  not!” 

“Then  we  will  follow  you.  We  belong  to  you, 
and  wherever  you  go  we  will  go.  We  will  not 
desert  you.” 

“If  this  be  so,”  I  cried  in  despair,  “then  I  am 
burdened  beyond  endurance,  and  immortality  be- 


240 


PURS  ON  A  L  EXPERIENCE. 


conies  a  curse.  If  I  must  remain  with  this  throng  of 
tormentors,  reminding  me  continually  of  early  fol¬ 
lies,  then  extinction  is  preferable.” 

What  shall  I  do  with  this  miscreant  crowd,  de¬ 
formed  and  rude  P  I  can  not  take  them  home  to  my 
companions.  If  these  are  embodiments  of  my  earthly 
thoughts,  how  they  would  scorn  me.  If  this  is  to  be 
my  retinue,  then  I  must  seek  a  new  home  where  I 
am  unknown.  I  must  cast  aside  the  companionship 
of  this  company.  My  punishment  is  terrible.  I 
threw  myself  down  in  a  paroxysm  or  grief  and  re¬ 
morse.  An  angel  came  by,  and  pausing  said  : 

“Would  you  escape  from  your  thraldom  ?  ” 

“  Escape  !”  I  cried.  “  Can  I  escape  ?” 

“Do  you  not  see  that  the  most  repulsive  of  these 
spectres  are  fashioned  of  the  thoughts  which  are  of 
yourself,  recording  your  former  vanity,  pride,  un¬ 
charity,  selfishness  and  forgetfulness  of  others  ?  See 
you  that  lovely  being  representing  a  deed  of  self- 
sacrifice  ?  ” 

“Oh  !  that  they  wTere  all  like  her  !  ”  I  cried. 

“Then  listen.  You  must  act  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  good  will  eclipse  these  shadows,  when  they 
will  disappear.” 

Saying  this  he  vanished,  and  I,  reflecting,  said 
that  I  would  a+  once  free  myself  from  the  dreadful 
following.  Opportunely  there  came  a  spirit  moaning 
past  me.  Her  brother  on  earth  was  contemplating  a 
horrible  crime.  He  had  determined  to  take  the  life 
of  his  mother  in  order  to  become  possessed  of  her 
estate.  The  sister  had  vainly  attempted  to  give 
a  warning  or  to  influence  him,  and  in  despair  at  her 
failure  she  had  left  them  to  their  fate.  I  said  to  her: 

“  Come.  I  will  go  with  you,  and  perhaps  together 
we  can  prevent  this  crime.” 

She  fervently  expressed  her  gratitude  as  she  con- 


SPIRITS  PREVENT  A  CRIME. 


241 


ducted  me  to  her  mother's  house.  It  was  midnight 
when  we  arrived,  as  I  saw  in  the  dim  lamplight  by 
the  tall  clock,  and  the  mother  was  sleeping. 

“  We  can  only  watch,”  said  my  companion,  “and 
if  he  should  come,  we  can  do  nothing  to  save  her.” 

“Do  you  not  know  that  sometimes  sleep  unlocks 
the  avenues  of  the  spirit,  and  we  can  approach 
much  nearer  than  in  waking  hours  ?  When  we  thus 
come,  people  say  they  have  dreamed.” 

I  bent  over  the  mother,  her  white  locks  fell  from 
beneath  her  cap  over  the  pillow,  and  there  was 
something  in  the  expression  of  her  lips  and  cheeks 
reminding  me  of  my  own.  I  tested  her  sensitive¬ 
ness  and  found  that  her  mind  responded.  Then  I 
Avilled  these  words : 

“  Edward  intends  to  kill  you  with  a  knife.  He 
will  come  into  your  room,  and  you  must  awake  and 
charge  him  with  the  crime,  and  say  to  him  that  his 
sister  came  from  heaven  to  tell  you  !  ” 

She  started  as  if  by  a  blow,  and  with  a  horrified 
expression,  she  sprang  upright. 

“  Who  is  hei'e  ?’  she  cried.  1  WTho  spoke  to  me  ? 
I  have  had  a  fearful  dream,  so  vivid  that  I  thought  it 
reality.” 

She  sank  again  on  the  pillow,  and  there  were  light 
footsteps  at  the  door,  which  slowly  swung  open,  and 
the  brother  entered.  The  mother  waited  only  a  mo¬ 
ment  when  she  arose  and  addressed  him  in  the  words 
of  her  dream.  It  came  so  suddenly  that  he  ad¬ 
mitted  his  intentions,  and  pleaded  for  forgiveness. 
He  had  been  made  the  victim  of  bad  men,  and  if  he 
could  escape  from  them  he  might  he  saved.  By 
nature  he  was  not  so  bad,  but  he  was  weak. 

Leaving  them  to  each  other,  I  started  again  for 
our  home,  my  heart  full  of  gladness,  for  I  had  fol¬ 
lowed  the  advice  of  the  angel,  and  expected  to  there- 


242 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


by  escape  my  companions.  Judge  of  my  surprise 
when  on  looking  back,  I  saw  a  new  form,  more  ugly 
than  any  of  the  others,  the  result  of  this  act  from 
whichl  had  expected  so  much.  As  I  gazed  in  despair, 
the  angel  came  again,  and  with  a  smile  said  to  me; 

“  It  was  a  selfish  act !” 

“Selfish?”  I  asked. 

“  Aye ;  you  had  not  the  good  of  the  woman  or  the 
salvation  of  the  son  or  the  happiness  of  the  daughter 
at  heart.  You  had  only  your  own  pleasure  and  gain. 
You  would  thereby  relieve  yourself  of  a  burden. 
The  world  is  ruined  by  such  benevolence.  You  will 
have  a  long  and  weary  road  if  you  travel  in  that 
direction.” 

“  I  am  a  fool,”  I  said,  overwhelmed  by  my  imbecil¬ 
ity  and  want  of  spiritual  understanding.  “  What  can 
I  do  ?”  I  implored. 

“  If  I  direct  you,  there  will  be  no  merit.  You  must 
determine  for  yourself.” 

As  he  spoke  he  vanished,  and  I  sat  down,  resting 
like  a  weary  pilgrim,  overburdened.  Then  I  saw  a 
spirit  coming  rapidly  toward  me,  and  on  approach¬ 
ing  she  hurriedly  said : 

“  I  am  told  you  c  n  influence  mortals.  My  son  is 
captain  of  a  steamer,  and  having  lost  his  course,  is 
sailing  directly  on  a  rocky  coast.  Come  and  save 
not  only  him,  but  the  hundreds  of  his  slumbering 
passengers.” 

Without  a  moment’s  delay,  I  followed  her,  and 
came  to  the  steamer.  The  gray  of  morning  was 
flushing  the  sky,  and  the  crests  of  heavily  rolling 
seas  gleamed  in  the  cold  light.  Everything  was 
quiet  on  deck,  for  the  passengers  were  asleep,  and 
nothing  was  heard  but  the  steady  pulsations  of  tire 
engine  I  looked  beyond  the  bow,  and  saw  the  shore 
some  distance  away.  It  was  a  high  promontory  of 


SPIRITS  INFLUENCING  MORTALS. 


243 


black  rocks,  against  which  the  surf  was  violently 
beating,  and  the  ship  was  headed  directly  on  the  point 
where  it  was  most  violent.  Whatever  was  to  be  done, 
must  be  done  quickly.  We  went  into  the  cabin  where 
the  captain  sat  with  his  head  resting  on  his  hands,  be¬ 
tween  sleeping  and  waking.  Could  I  impress  him 
with  his  danger  P  1  made  the  attempt  and  failed.  I 
repeated  several  times  with  no  better  success.  I  be¬ 
came  anxious,  as  the  danger  increased,  for  every  pul¬ 
sation  of  the  engine  brought  the  ship  nearer  to  the 
rocks.  The  sleeping  passengers,  strong  men,  help¬ 
less  women  and  children,  how  soon  they  would  be 
called  to  face  certain  destruction.  What  agony  the 
now  quiet  decks  would  witness  !  What  waiting  and 
hoping  against  hope  there  would  be  in  hundreds  of 
desolate  homes  !  The  contemplation  unnerved  me, 
and  I  was  unfitted  to  exercise  my  skill  in  impressing 
thoughts  on  mortal  brain.  I  was  recalled  by  the 
voice  of  the  mother: 

“Can  you  not  save  my  son  ?” 

I  confess  that  when  the  picture  of  agony  I  have 
sketched  came  to  my  mind,  in  my  wish  to  prevent 
the  catastrophe,  all  selfish  considerations  were  for¬ 
gotten,  and  I  would  unhesitatingly  have  given  my 
existence  for  the  safety  of  the  ship,  were  it  possible 
to  have  done  so. 

“I  can  do  nothing  unless  I  have  aid,”  I  replied, 
and  with  my  whole  strength  I  invoked  our  elder 
brother.  Instantly  he  came.  He  understands  the 
methods  of  impressing  thought  so  perfectly  that,  as 
you  know,  he  rarely  fails.  He  placed  his  hand  on 
the  captain’s  head,  and  the  thought  he  gave  was  : 

“Ship  ahoy,  breakers  ahead!” 

The  captain  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  rubbing  his 
eyes  in  a  bewildered  manner,  rushed  on  deck. 


244 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE. 


“Who  hailed  us?”  he  demanded  of  the  drowsy 
watch. 

“No  one,  sir;  all  is  quiet.” 

“We  were  hailed,”  he  said  firmly,  and  gaining  the 
bridge  he  sought  to  penetrate  the  darkness.  He  lis¬ 
tened,  and  his  face  paled,  for  distinctly  came  the 
boom  of  the  surf. 

Swift  were  the  commands,  and  the  ship  by  a  sharp 
curve  doubled  on  her  course,  the  rocky  ledge  being  so 
near  that  a  few  revolutions  more  and  there  would 
have  been  no  escape. 

A  great  many  of  the  passengers  came  up  on  deck, 
aroused  by  the  unusual  motion  of  the  ship  and  the 
shouting  of  orders,  and  when  they  understood  the 
peril  they  had  so  narrowly  escaped,  they  embraced 
each  other  and  cried  for  joy. 

As  I  again  sought  our  home,  forgetful  of  every¬ 
thing  but  the  benefit  I  had  conferred  by  my  journey, 
I  glanced  behind  me,  and  saw  a  shining  light,  and 
afar  off,  in  dim  outline,  the  group  of  beings  I  so 
strongly  desired  to  escape.  Unconsciously  1  had 
performed  an  act  that  had  placed  a  light  between 
me  and  them.  Rejoice  with  me,  dear  friends,  I  am 
enabled  to  be  unselfish. 

Then  the  elder  said :  “  Our  brother  adds  to  his  other 
good  quahties,  that  of  humility.” 


“The  angel-life  became  more  complete  and  perfect 
as  year  by  year  the  loved  ones  came  up  from  the 
shadows  of  earth,  until  our  family  circle  was  almost 
restored.  After  a  time  its  old  members  will  take 
their  new  places,  and  when  my  earth-friends  are 
all  here,  there  will  be  little  attraction  for  me  in  the 
old  life. 

“It  is  yet  new  and  strange,  and  cannot  be  described 


FROM  EARTH  TO  THE  INFINITE 


245 


to  mortal  comprehension.  Language  itself  must  be 
spiritualized,  and  words  given  a  new  meaning. 

“  I  have  mingled  tears  of  pity  with  those  who  have 
been  bereft,  at  the  same  time  knowing  that  their 
loss  was  gain  to  the  departed  ones. 

“Activity  is  our  happiness,  and  thinking  right  and 
doing  our  very  best  are  the  gateways  to  heaven. 
Earth-life  is  a  joy  only  when  the  end  is  known.  Here 
its  infinite  possibilities  are  realized.  Not  in  a  year  or  a 
century,  but  in  the  fullness  of  time  can  all  this  come. 
Weep,  for  it  is  human,  when  your  loved  ones  pass  the 
shadowy  portals,  remembering,  however,  that  the 
spiritual  sun  on  the  other  side  will,  by  comparison, 
make  your  brightest  day  on  earth  a  rayless  night,” 


FROM  EARTH  TO 


The  mists  are  falling  on  the  purple  sea, 

The  sun  is  sinking  in  the  clouds  aflame  ; 

For  many  a  day  the  far  receding  sea 
And  melting  sky  have  seemed  almost  the  same. 

At  first  we  met  the  bitter  storm  and  cloud, 

With  little  sunshine  on  the  darkling  mere, 

The  waves  were  high,  the  icy  winds  were  loud  ; 
The  days  were  dark,  the  nights  were  full  of  fear. 

By  every  trial  having  gathered  strength. 

And  hopeful  conquered  every  adverse  gale, 

We  now  have  reached  a  calmer  sea  at  length, 

And  with  full  hearts  unbend  the  flowing  sail. 

Behind,  the  sinking  sun  reveals  no  shore 
Illumed  with  glory  of  his  purple  light; 

The  land  we  left  has  passed  forever  more 
Beyond  the  reach  of  longing  mortal  sight. 


246  FRO 31  EARTH  TO  THE  INFINITE , 

A  boundless  sea  on  every  side  expands; 

We’re  drifting  slowly  toward  the  glowing  east; 
In  faith  expecting  yet  more  welcome  lands, 

When  toiling  care,  and  mortal  life  have  ceased. 

Behold,  it  comes  in  robes  of  azure  light ! 

As  sinks  the  sun  behind  the  sullen  waves, 

And  on  the  pearly  shore,  enchanting  sight, 

Are  all  the  friends  we  thought  within  the  grave. 

And  now,  oh  ship,  your  weary  pinions  fold, 

And  rock  to  sleep  upon  the  harbor’s  breast ; 

This  is  the  home,  by  faith  our  hearts  foretold, 
Where  we  shall  find  activity  and  rest. 


INDEX. 


After  death . 

Angel  life  becoming  perfect . 

Angels,  guardian . 

Anger  affecting  the  secretions . 

Animals  have  no  souls . 

Aspirations  for  a  future  life . 

A  spirit  prevents  a  disaster . 

A  sullen  spirit  . 

Atom,  the . 

Atomic  theory . 

Beauty  of  the  spirit . . 

Beecher,  H.  W . 

Better  Methods . 

Blind  Tom . 

Brain  and  Nerves . 

Buchannan,  Dr . 

Bunyan . 

Charlatanism  and  mesmerism . 

Christian  science . 

Clairvoyance . 

artificial  and  normal . 

*•  from  dreams . 

examples  of . 

Mollie  Faneher . 

Eliza  Hamilton . 

Laura  Bridgman  . 

favored  by  disease . 

independent  of  the  senses 

Concentration . . . 

Continuous  earth-life . 

Cultivation  of  sensitiveness . 

Curse  of  false  belief . 

Death .  . 

“  appearance  after . 

“  warnings  of .  . 

“  Garfield’s  . 

Degradation  of  prayer . 

Denton,  Prof .  . 

Dissolution  of  a  spirit  — .  . 

Divine  motherhood . . 

Doing  for  others .  . 

Double  presence . 

Dreams  . 

“  predict  death . . 

“  Prince  Leopold's . 

“  Lincoln’s . 


215 

244 

117 

185 

205 

221 

243 

229 

11 

12 

224 

158 

194 

157 

197 

65 

100 

178 

189 

51 

57 

57 

60 

57 

60 

62 

56 

55 

162 

210 

220 

189 

215 

142 

128 

131 

107 

67 

2C8 

186 

227 

100 

86 

139 

140 

138 


348  IXDEJT. 

Dreams  life  saved  by  .  79-126-128 

"  correct  errors . .  . . • .  127 

“  Stanley  on  .  89 

•'  of  Dr.  Holbrook  .  90 

“  clairvoyant  . . .  .  .  83 

"  shipwreck  prevented  by . 78 

“  sensitive .  .  ...  .  80 

“  prophetic . ' .  88 

“  of  Mary  Hudlett .  ..  . .  80 

“  ol  Stanton  Moses .  8i 

Earth-life  enough  here  . 217 

Ether,  physic  . 114 

“  illustrations  of .  110 

Evolution .  27-31 

Faith  cure . i  .  180 

Finney,  Pres,  prayer  for  raiu  .  167 

First  day  in  spirit  life .  . . .  225 

Force,  theory  of . .  ...  .  ..  .  23 

Forewarnings.  . . 173 

Gulf  between  matter  and  spirit  . 211 

Hallucinations . 70 

Happy  and  perfect  lives .  .  . . .  191 

Hypnotism  .  50 

Ideas  not  words  transmitted .  65 

Idiots  and  immortality . 208 

Illness  of  mind  .  185 

Illusions .  68 

“  subjective .  68 

"  suggestive .  69 

“  of  Prof.  Hitchcock .  70 

Immortality,  want  of  evidence  to  prove  .  10 

Impressions .  77 

Increase  of  skepticism .  10 

Individualization  of  force. . 213 

Influence,  law  of .  116 

Influence  of  mind  over  secretions . .  182 

Influencing  mortals . . 232 

Inspiration  .  156 

Inspiration  at  its  height .  219 

Is  mental  cure  a  sham .  183 

Leaving  the  aching  body .  238 

Life . .  .  . —  15 

*•  moner  theory  of . Ifc 

“  and  mind  .  17 

**  the  future  .  36 

“  without  immortality  a  sham . 200 

Light  in  the  heart .  218 

“  waves  of .  21 

Limits  of  power  of  mind  over  body .  186 

Limitation  of  languages . 216 

Limitation  of  the  power .  168 

Man  a  d  ua  1  being . 201 


INDEX. 


249 


Man  alone  immortal . 

Material  science— views  of  nature  . 

Matter .  . . . 

“  is  there  more  than  one  kind  of? . 

Medical  student’s  prayer . 

Mental  cure . . 

Mesmeric  state . . 

Mesmerism,  moral  effects  of . 

Mind  and  life . 

“  independent  . 

Mothers’  influence  over  unborn  child . 

Murder  prevented  by  a  spirit .  . 

Napoleon  ...  . . 

Narrative  by  a  spirit . 

Nature .  . 

“  and  the  supernatural .  . 

Necessity  of  knowledge . •• . 

Nervous  systems . 

Ole  Hull . 

Omens  explained . 

Origin  of  spirit . 

Our  sins  follow  us . 

Paganini .  . 

Pains  of  spirits  in  earth  sphere . 

Persecution  . 

Physical  senses . . 

Physical  llieories  fail  to  solve  the  problem  of  life 

Prayer,  who  answers  it?  .  . 

Predictions . 

Premonitions . 

“  why  not  received  by  all 

Power  of  mind  over  body . 

Presentiments . 

Pre-existence . 

Priests  and  jugglers  . 

Promethean  curse . 

Properties  of  matter . 

Prophecy  by  dreams . . 

Protoplasm . . . 

Psychic  growth.  . 

Psych  ometry . 

Regeneration  of  a  spirit . 

Reincarnation  . . 

Returning  to  earth . 

Sacred  shrines  and  holy  places . 

Saving  souls . 

Scientific  method  of  studv  . 

Sense— the  sixth. .  . 

Senses,  limitation  of . 

Sensitiveness . 

“  what  it  is . 

“  relation  to  culture . 


.  206 

.  14 

.  13 

.  12 

.  170 

.  180 

.  47 

.  52 

.  17 

.  110 

. .  188 

.  241 

. 163 

222 

.  14 

. 171 

9 

.  198 

.  153 

.  131 

. 2C4 

.  240 

.  156 

. 283 

.  193 

.  55 

. .  8 

. 169 

.  130 

. 3,79,122 

.  136 

.  181 

.  79 

.  209 

.  166 

. 190 

.  13 

.  81,8 

.  30,  199 

.  207 

.  67 

.  230 

.  203 

. 231 

.  74 

.  192 

.  31 

.  44 

. 21,2 

37,  40-1-2,  104,  162 

.  37 

.  43 


250 


INDEX. 


Sensitiveness  during:  sleep.  . 

unconscious .  . . . 

of  spiritual  beings .  42, 

Sickness  a  mark  of  ignorance  . . 

Sig  ht,  a  race  without . 

Skepticism,  increase  of . .  . 

Sleep  — . 

Society  of  Psychical  Research . . 

Somnambulism . 

Sound  waves . . . 

Spirit  regretting  her  death  . 

Spirit  watching  his  funeral  obsequies . 

Spirits  confusion  after  death . 

Spirits  in  despair . . . . 

Spirits  know  not  age . 

Spirits  meeting  mortals  at  death . 

Spirits  traveling  by  will  power . 

Spiritual  ether . 

“  existence . 

“  understanding . . 

Spotless  lives . . *. . . 

Strength  in  weakness . 

Struggle  for  existence . 

Superior  intelligences,  interference  of . 

Survival  of  the  fittest . . 

The  animal  in  man . . 

The  arch  complete . . 

The  body  a  staging . . . 

The  celestial  body .  . 

The  immortal  state  . 

The  sensitive’s  sufferings . 

The  terrestrial  body . 

Thought  atmosphere  .  . 

“  transference .  77,80,99, 

Trance  . . 

“  conditions  of . 

Untutored  minds .  . 

Warning  voice . .  . . 

Weakness  of  new  born  spirits .  . 

What  is  back  of  force? .  .  . 

Worlds,  dead . 

“  end  of . 


.  76 

150 

164 

187 

38 

10 

46 

99 

50 

20 

237 

237 

236 

239 

229 

235 

234 

19 

217 

242 

191 

228 

28 

79 

29 

195 

205 

205 

202 

188 

218 

202 

113 

,102 

53 

53 

195 

135 

220 

212 

22 

23 


IN  PREPARATION. 


CAREER  OF  RELIGIOUS  IDEAS  AND 
ETHICS  OF  SCIENCE 


Founded  on  Evolution  and  the  Continuity  of 
Man’s  Existence  Beyond  the  Grave. 


Part  I. — The  Career  of  Religious  Ideas. 
Part  II.— Ethics  of  Science. 


This  volume  unfolds  the  Progress  of  Religious  Ideas 
through  Fetishism,  Phallic  Worship,  Polytheism  and  Mono¬ 
theism  to  their  emergence  into  the  light  of  science,  divested 
of  superstition,  and  elaborates  the  natural  system  of  ethics 
founded  on  knowledge  of  the  physical  and  spiritual  world. 

By  HUDSON  TUTTLE. 

300  PA  G ES.  PRICE  $1.25. 


IN  PREPARATION. 

FROM  Soul  to  Soul. 

POEMS 

By  EMMA  ROOD  TUTTLE. 


250  PAGES. 


PRICE  $1.25. 


